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Alert: House WIA Bill (HR 4297) Threatens Youth Education and Employment Programs for Low-income and Disconnected Youth

April 23, 2012

HR4297 (The Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012) would likely dismantle the current youth education, employment and training system for low-income and disconnected youth. It consolidates federal youth funds into a predominantly adult focused workforce investment fund and provides no real requirements for state and local areas to provide youth with current level of services. At a time when youth employment is at the lowest level in 60 years, when fewer than one in five minority teens found work last summer, when forty to fifty percent of youth in high poverty communities are dropping out of school, we need to strengthen our federally funded youth employment system and programs to provide young people with the education, labor market options and wrap-around supports they will need to succeed in a 21st century labor market. Add your voice to preserve dedicated youth employment and training programs through the Workforce Investment Act.

President’s Proposal Demonstrates Commitment to Disconnected Youth, but Doesn’t Go Far Enough

February 20, 2012

At the start of this year, the President called for an "all hands on deck" approach to addressing the disconnected youth crisis. The White House Council on Community Solutions released a report noting that 6.7 million youth (ages 16 to 24) are not enrolled in school and are detached from the labor market. In his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2013, the president continues to draw attention to persistently high unemployment among the nation's youth and young adults and the grave situation facing disconnected youth. In this tough economic climate, the president's budget makes some key investments in youth.

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