Youth Services
Workforce Investment Act
Region 13 Youth Program
There are many challenges confronting
young people today. Completion of high school may be difficult. For many,
it is hard to see what role the education they are offered now relates to
jobs they will need to support themselves in the future. Young people often
times lack the skills they need to secure and keep employment. Through a
variety of activities, Iowa Western Community College Workforce Development,
through programs offered under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), can
provide an efficient and effective system that can assist youth in
developing their workplace skills.
WIA Youth Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in the WIA
Youth Program, an applicant must meet all five criteria listed below:
A low-income individual; AND
An individual who is one or more of the
following;
Deficient in basic literacy skills
A school dropout (not including
those enrolled in
alternative school)
Homeless, a runaway, or a foster
child
Pregnant or parenting
An offender
An individual who requires
additional assistance to
complete an education program, or to secure and
hold employment. This region defines this
category as individuals who have difficulty
mastering the language, academic, cultural and
social skills necessary to reach the educational
and employment levels of which they are capable.
Substance abuser (past or current);
AND
Registered with the selective service, if
applicable; AND
A citizen or national of the United
States, a lawfully admitted permanent resident alien, a lawfully admitted
refugee or parolee, or an individual authorized by the Attorney General to
work in the United States.
WIA Youth
Program Activities and Services
On-the-Job Training (OJT)
OJT offers training in an actual work
situation that has career advancement potential. This allows the young
person to develop specific occupational skills or to obtain specialized
skills required by an individual employer.
Work Experience
Short-term or part-time employment allows
youth who participate in a work experience to develop good work habits and
basic work skills. This is training that will serve them for life in
whatever occupations they pursue. A Work Experience activity is intended
for individuals with little or no job experience.
Institutional Skills Training
Conducted in a classroom setting,
institutional skills training provides the technical skills and information
required to perform a specific job. Typically, it leads to a certificate,
diploma, or degree from a two-year vocational/technical institution.
General Education Development
GED is for youth who have not completed
their high school education. They receive instruction to assist them in the
successful completion of the GED tests.
Career Guidance and Counseling
Students receive career counseling, as
well as the opportunity to use a number of assessment tools to guide them in
their career decisions.
In addition to the services listed above,
supportive services such as transportation and child-care assistance may be
authorized on an as-needed basis.
For more information on the WIA program,
you can call 712-242-2121 or contact your local
Workforce
Development Center.
Employers are required by law to maintain
a reasonably safe working environment. There are several special
considerations that may apply to workers who are under the age of eighteen.
Youth under the age of 16 in Iowa are required to have a work permit before
starting work. Youth who are 14 or 15 years old are also limited by the
number of hours they can work during the day and week.
Employers may require youth age 16 and
older to obtain a Certificate of Age. Under Iowa Child Labor Law minors
under the age of 18 are prohibited from working in certain occupations,
performing certain duties, and from using certain equipment.
For more information on both
Iowa and Federal
child labor laws, visit Iowa Workforce Development on the web or contact
your local
Workforce Development Center.
Registered apprenticeships are formalized
career training programs that offer a combination of structured on-the-job
training and related technical instruction to employees to train them in
occupations that demand a high level of skill.
Job Corp is the nation's largest and most
comprehensive residential, education and job training programs for at-risk
youth, ages 16 through 24. It provides disadvantaged young people with the
integrated academic, vocational, and social skills training they need to
gain independence and get quality, long term jobs or further their
education.
For more information you can call
712-329-9730.
Region 13 Youth Advisory
Council
The Region 13 Youth Advisory Council
provides guidance for, and exercises oversight of, local youth programs
operated under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). In addition, the council
provides expertise in youth policy and assists the Regional Workforce
Investment Board (RWIB) in:
1. Developing and recommending local
youth employment and training policy and practice.
2. Broadening the youth employment and training focus in the community
to incorporate a youth development perspective.
3. Establishing links with other organizations serving youth in the
local area.
4. Factoring the range of issues that can have an impact on the success
of youth in the labor market.
Members of the Youth Advisory Council
serve two-year terms, and represent people with a special interest in youth
policy. Members include individuals from youth service agencies, such as
juvenile justice and law enforcement, public housing, parents, or WIA
participants, and the RWIB.
For more information about the Youth
Advisory Council, contact Mary Warren at (712) 242-2113.
