Statewide implementation of quality comprehensive career development programs and activities is a promising strategy that states can use to achieve the dual goals of college and career readiness for all high school students. Designing Statewide Career Development Strategies and Programs can assist states in their efforts to increase college and career readiness among all youth, including youth with disabilities, by providing functional and pragmatic guidance on implementing quality comprehensive systems of career development. The Guide consists of two parts. Part one serves as a primer to quality youth career development systems. Part two serves as an implementation guide, including resources, promising practices, and challenges encountered by states that have implemented career development programming in their schools.
Every November, the National Career Development Association Encourages career development professionals to celebrate with career related activities. In celebration, NCWD/Youth, in partnership with Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute for College and Career Readiness, published the first issue of Career Development E-News highlighting relevant resources.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration will award at least $100 million in H-1B funds, at least $50 million of which will be dedicated to supporting young Americans, ages 17-29, with employment and training barriers including youth with disabilities. Grants will be awarded to approximately 30-40 grantees to pilot and scale innovative partnerships with the goal of equipping individuals with the skills they need through innovative approaches. These approaches rapidly train workers for and connect them to well-paying, middle- and high-skilled, and high-growth jobs in diverse H-1B industries, such as IT, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, financial services, and broadband.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) continues to provide guidance on the implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) prior to the release of final rules. ETA is issuing a series of WIOA Training and Employment Guidance Letters (TEGLs). TEGL No. 08-15provides guidance and planning information to states, local workforce areas, and other recipients of WIOA Title I youth formula funds on activities associated with implementing WIOA. Opportunities for coordination and collaboration between the workforce development system and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies to better address the needs of students and youth with disabilities are described.
In Training and Employment Notice (TEN) NO. 16-15, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employment and Training Administration announced that the United States Department of Education, acting on behalf of the other participating Federal agencies (Labor, and Health and Human Services, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and related agencies), elected nine sites to receive grants under the Performance Partnership Pilots (P3) for Disconnected Youth authority. The P3 sites will have additional flexibility in blending discretionary funds across Federal program to test innovative and outcome-focused strategies for improving results for disconnected youth in educational and employment settings. DOL, on behalf of the Federal agencies, will conduct a national cross-site evaluation of how pilots implement the P3 model, including their strategies, challenges, and outcomes. Findings will help strengthen how agencies and the field address disconnected youth needs in the future.
On November 5, 2015, theU.S. Department of Labor published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to update the federal regulations for Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship (Title 29 CFR part 30), which have not been updated since 1978. The proposed rule would add disability, age (40 or older), sexual orientation, and genetic information to protected groups for nondiscrimination purposes, and clarify that sex discrimination includes discrimination on the bases of pregnancy and gender identity. It would also clarify and streamline what sponsors must do to comply with their affirmative action obligations. As with the existing regulation, the proposed rule would generally apply to registered apprenticeship sponsors with five or more apprentices. However, the rule would not apply if the sponsor can show that it is already in compliance with an equal employment opportunity program providing for affirmative action for minorities and women, and with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ affirmative action program requirements for persons with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. The public has until January 5, 2016 to comment on the proposed rule electronically.
On Thursday, November 19, House and Senate leaders, participating in a joint conference committee, approved a bipartisan framework to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The bipartisan bill, which will be known as the Every Student Succeeds Act, reconciles elements from H.R. 5 and S. 1177, which the House and Senate respectively passed in July. This was the first time House and Senate leaders held a conference committee on ESEA since the passage of NCLB in 2001. The final bill may be brought to a vote in both chambers during the first week of December.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education launched IDEAs that Work. As school systems work to implement rigorous academic standards and prepare diverse learners for success beyond graduation, this website provides additional support for teachers and families of students with disabilities and struggling learners. The IDEAs that Work website connects teachers and families with resources to assist them in supporting the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students as they become college and career ready.
In an effort to help undocumented students access an education that prepares them for college and careers, the U.S. Department of Education released a resource guide to help educators, school leaders, and community organizations better support these youth, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. The guide is intended to help educators and school staff support the academic success of undocumented youth, and debunk misconceptions by clarifying the legal rights of undocumented students. It also shares helpful information about financial aid options open to undocumented students, and supports youth applying for DACA consideration or renewal.
The White House released Generation Indigenous: Increasing Support and Opportunity for Native Youth, an updated report on an initiative launched last year to improve opportunities for Native youth in America. The report shows progress on the three Generation Indigenous goals: 1) Policy: Shining a Spotlight on American Indian and Alaska Native Youth, 2) Budget: Effective, Targeted Federal Investments, and 3) Outreach: Increasing Opportunity for Native Youth.
