The Emerging Worker Sub-Committee met on Friday, December 7, 2001 in Albany. The following are highlights from that meeting.

1. Update on Incentive and Challenge Grants. Dan Moser from NYS DOL updated the Sub-Committee on the status of the two grants, which were developed from concept papers prepared by the Sub-Committee.
   • Incentive Grants to Expand Business Involvement in Youth Programs: The request-for-proposals (RFP) was released November 8, with applications due January 16. The RFP was posted on DOL’s website: www.wdsny.org along with 62 questions and answers. Tentative selection will be made by the end of February 2002.

   • Challenge Grants to Expand Year-Round Programs for Youth and Integrate Youth Programs into One-Stop Delivery Systems (comprehensive year-round system building): The request-for-proposals will be released in January with possible awards announced in April 2002. It will be a competitive process with approximately ten to thirteen awards distributed.

2. Foundation Building Presentations by Howard Knoll, Director of Youth Services for the U.S. Department of Labor, and County Executive William Steinhaus and a leadership team from Dutchess County.
   • USDOL Presentation:
     
     • Howard Knoll provided an overview of the intent of federal Workforce Investment Act legislation and what information the federal government is looking for.
     • He mentioned the need for "indicators of success" and provided examples (e.g., how many youth found a job, how many advanced to a better position, did earnings increase, how many young people who were out-of-school went back to school).
     • Congress needs to see the difference in the investment of WIA dollars and past spending on youth programs.
     • Howard reviewed in-depth PEPNET program, a national clearinghouse for high quality workforce programs for youth. The Sub-Committee supported encouraging effective Incentive and Challenge grant recipients to submit programs to PEPNET and asked staff to broadly disseminate information about the program. PEPNET is an excellent self-assessment resource for Youth Councils and is being used for youth council self-assessment in New Jersey, Delaware and Seattle.

   • Dutchess County Presentation:
     
     • Sub-Committee member William Steinhaus, Dutchess County Executive, Connie Bard Fowle, Executive Director of the Dutchess County Workforce Investment Board, and Betsy Brockway, Youth Bureau Director, provided an overview of Dutchess County’s comprehensive approach to youth development.
     • William Steinhaus stressed that they have been successful because "they have little patience for individual agencies acting alone" and partners "have to check their egos at the door."
     • A few years ago Dutchess created a Children Services Council, under the auspices of the County Executive’s office, which brings together over 45 agencies and organizations dealing with youth.
     • They have created a broad vision for youth programming and have created a Youth Navigator position at the one-stop delivery center to fully connect youth services with the one-stop system.
     • The team shared a number of products including a self-evaluation instrument and a 2001 Youth Survey Report conducted by high school teens.

3. Discussion of Statewide Initiatives to be sponsored by the Sub-Committee Over the Next Two Years. The Sub-Committee extensively discussed statewide initiatives around two focus areas prepared by staff to the Sub-Committee: 1. Expanding/enhancing business involvement in youth programs; and 2. Supporting comprehensive year-round programs.
   • Overall, the Sub-Committee endorsed the two areas and activities.
   • Staff was requested to: 1. Consolidate and edit activities to reflect discussion; 2. Re-look at the outcomes and develop more concrete measures or indicators of achievement for youth; and 3. Provide a reworked version in early January for Sub-Committee members to discuss on January 17.

4. New partners. Howard Knoll, U.S.DOL and Katherine Loucks, Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development from Empire State Development expressed interest in participating and supporting the work of the Sub-Committee. The Sub-Committee agreed and asked Katherine Loucks to present at the January 17, 2002 meeting.

5. Next Meeting: January 17, 2002, 10-12, Holiday Inn Turf, Albany

6. Report to State Workforce Investment Board: Staff were asked to prepare a draft report to the State Workforce Investment Board, which meets on January 17, 2002.