Competency Area IX: Program Design and Delivery

IX.1 Knowledge of workforce development system, including technology of workforce development (service management, performance measures, and assessment)

Learning Objectives

• IX1.1 List and describe the components of the national and local workforce development (WD) systems and the types of technology-based data systems they use.
  Note: The workforce development system includes all national, state, and local level organizations that plan and allocate resources (both public and private), provide administrative oversight, and operate programs in order to assist individuals and employers in obtaining education, training, job placement, and job recruitment.

Selected Activities

• Research and map the local WD system—include all individuals, direct-service and intermediary organizations that serve, support or connect with youth and their roles in the WD system

Demonstration of Learning - Show What You Know!

• Identify the relationships between your organization and the other organizations and individuals in your map

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth backgrounder, Making the Connections: Growing and Supporting New Organizations—Intermediaries .

Other Resources

• Porter, M. (2002). Workforce Development in the Global Economy.
• Ganzglass, E., Jensen, M., Ridley, N., Simon, M., and Thompson, C. (2001). Transforming State Workforce Development Systems.

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IX.2 Ability to work with groups, foster teamwork, and develop leadership and teamwork among youth

Learning Objectives

• IX.2.1 Facilitate and support collaborative group teamwork, leadership development and fellowship with organizational youth

Selected Activities

• Team-building activities–Learning and Leading: Tool Kit for Youth Development and Civic Activism–Organizational Leadership Activity

Demonstration of Learning - Show What You Know!

• Have a group work on a small task:
  • Watch the dynamics - who talks to whom, who looks at whom
  • Explore ways you can help the group work more interactively
  • Write down your results
• Develop a youth advisory board for your organization including a training and leadership development plan for the youth

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• Gill, P. Youth Development and Leadership in Programs. National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth InfoBrief, Volume 11.
• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (2005). Building, Developing, and Going to Scale: Grant Funded Programs for Youth in Transition – Module 1: Collaboration and Relationship Building – Module 1 in PDF , Module 1 in MS Word .
• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (2005). Building, Developing, and Going to Scale: Grant Funded Programs for Youth in Transition – Module 3: Leadership, Communications, and Outreach – Module 3 in PDF , Module 3 in MS Word .
• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (n.d.). Youth Development and Leadership for All Youth in PDF , Youth Development and Leadership for All Youth in MS Word .
• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (2004). Youth Development & Leadership White Paper in PDF , Youth Development & Leadership White Paper in MS Word .
• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (n.d.). Youth Development & Leadership Jump Starts.
• National Youth Employment Coalition. (n.d.). PEPNet Online Index to Quality Practices, 2.3 (instructional approach).

Other Resources

• Davis, M. and Carey, J. (2004). Youth Development 102 - The Continuum of Youth Engagement.
• Derek Bok Center Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University (n.d). Working in Groups.
• Teaching for Learning, Flinders University (n.d.). Group Assessment Tasks and Assessing Groups.
• Involve Young People In Local Economic And Employment Development

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IX.3 Ability to manage programs and budgets

Learning Objectives

• IX.3.1 Develop program plans such that the program meets the needs of the organization and community while simultaneously managing and recording budgetary requirements

Selected Activities

• Find the program plan for your organization.
  • If it exists, examine how it traces to budgets
  • If it does not exist, describe the three highest priorities in your organization and lay out a simple plan/budget
• Examine a case study or problem-based learning activity where participants have to analyze where the case study went wrong, or examine a true-to-life problem that often occurs with program or budget management (a program instructor quits, all the bids for program services come in over budget, you incur an unexpected expense, etc.)

Demonstration of Learning - Show What You Know!

• Create/expand the program plan for your organization
• Compare lessons learned in the case study to what goes on in your organization and to make recommendations for improvements or changes

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (2005). Building, Developing, and Going to Scale: Grant Funded Programs for Youth in Transition – Module 4: The Fundamentals of System Building, Developing, and Going to Scale – Module 4 in PDF , Module 4 in MS Word .
• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (2005). Building, Developing, and Going to Scale: Grant Funded Programs for Youth in Transition – Module 5: The Practical Tools for System Building, Developing, and Going to Scale – Module 5 in PDF , Module 5 in MS Word .

Other Resources

• Free Management Library website.
• Horn, J. (December 2001). A Checklist for Developing Evaluation Budgets. The Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University.
• McNamara, C. (n.d.). Basic Guide to Non-Profit Financial Management.
• Open Directory Project (n.d.). Project and Program Management - Open Directory Project.
• Primavera Public Sector Brochures and White Papers (n.d.).

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IX.4 Ability to design programs using best practices (considering age, stage, and cultural appropriateness)

Learning Objectives

• IX.4.1 Identify and analyze best practices in order to design or refine a program

Selected Activities

• Choose a specific activity, service or program delivered to youth by your workforce system. Identify three best practices for this activity, service or program.
• Compare your organization's practices with best practices and existing national quality standards.
• Teams design a mentoring program for groups of youth with different profiles—ages, cultural diversity, disability status, risk factors, etc. Teams need to determine the goals of the program (increase self esteem, increase their awareness of career options and resources, etc.), identify best practices in mentoring, and then research developmental characteristics of the youth at the assigned age, culturally competent activities, accommodations for youth with disabilities, etc.

Demonstration of Learning - Show What You Know!

• Design a new program or re-design an existing program using the best practices you’ve identified
• Have the program critiqued by an “expert” in the field and adjust the program based on the critique

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (2006). Paving the Way to Work: A Guide to Career-Focused Mentoring.
• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (n.d.). Pro-Bank - Promising Practices for Youth with Disabilities.
• National Youth Employment Coalition (n.d.). Promising and Effective Practices Network (PEPNet) website.
• O’Sullivan, K. (Ed.) (2005). PEPNet Guide to Quality Standards in Youth Programs: Linking Youth to Work and Education for a Successful Transition to Adulthood. Washington, DC: National Youth Employment Coalition.

Other Resources

• ADEC - Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities (n.d.). Cross cultural training for disability service providers.
• Harrison, L. (n.d.). Accessible Web-based Distance Education: Principles and Best Practices.
• Jackson, D. and Slanker, D.M. (2004). Program Design for Performance. Columbus, Ohio: The Ohio State University.
• Partners for Youth with Disabilities (2005). Best Practice Guide in Mentoring Youth with Disabilities.
• Queensland Government, Disability Services Queensland (n.d.). Action Plan 2. Providing appropriate and accessible services and programs.
• Smith-Davis, J. and Littlejohn, W.R. Related Services For School-Aged Children With Disabilities.
• Stoecklin, V. and White, R. (n.d.). Designing Quality Child Care Facilities.

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IX.5 Service management skills, including how to set measurable goals with tangible outcomes

Learning Objectives

• IX.5.1 Establish appropriate goals and priorities for the program, communicate goals and priorities to others.

Selected Activities

• Describe the difference between measurable and non-measurable goals
• Identify the goals and expected outcomes in the mentoring program design in IX.4, describing how you communicate the goals and outcomes to stakeholders, and how you would update them as the program progresses
• Prepare a SMART Goals brief
• Undertake some of the exercises in From Data to Results

Demonstration of Learning - Show What You Know!

• Examine the goals and expected outcomes that exist at your organization and determine if the outcomes truly measure achievement of goals.  Make the case in a brief whitepaper, or make suggestions for improvements

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• National Alliance for Secondary Education and Transition (2005). National standards and quality indicators: Transition toolkit for systems improvements.
• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (2005). Building, Developing, and Going to Scale: Grant Funded Programs for Youth in Transition – Module 6: Sustaining and Expanding Effective Practices – Module 6 in PDF , Module 6 in MS Word .
• National Alliance for Secondary Education and Transition (2005). National standards and quality indicators: Transition toolkit for systems improvements.
• O’Sullivan, K., and Wernick, E. (Eds.). Chapter 4: Deciding HOW to Measure Results. In From Data to Results: The PEPNet Guide to Measuring and Improving Performance in Youth Programs. Washington, DC: National Youth Employment Coalition.

Other Resources

• Gerbyshank, P. (n.d.). Set SMART Goals to Achieve More.
• Grossmont College (n.d.). Disabilities Services Management.

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