19D - WORKFORCE PLAN 2017-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Last year, approximately 17% of WIOA Young Adult participants were disabled, 11% were offenders, and 22% were high school drop -outs. The needs for these unique populations are addressed through coordination with Orange County Healthcare Agency, Orange County Probation, and Orange County Department of Education. Youth Service Providers are provided throughout the OC Region to ensure all youth have access to services and are served effectively. Through an open, competitive process, the local boards select organizations with a proven history of performance as service providers for the WIOA Youth/Young Adult Program. The slate of current providers is diverse (including a local city government, a private company, a college and a non - profit organization), bringing a vast reservoir of experience and knowledge to the local youth service delivery system. Current WIOA Young Adult Program service providers are: • City of Santa Ana: Administered by the SAWDB, the Orange County Conservation Corps, Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center, Orange County Labor Federation, and the Santa Ana Public Library provide youth services. • City of Anaheim: Administered by the AWDS, the Orange County Conservation Corps and Taller San Jose Hope Builders provide services to economically disadvantaged youth with education, job training, and transition programs. • Orange County Development Board: Administered by the OCDB, the KRA Corporation, City of La Habra, Saddleback College, and the Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance provide workforce services for in- school and out -of- school young adults. COORDINATION WITH LOCAL PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES: There are a wide variety of young adult programs and activities in OC that concentrate on addressing the needs of at -risk young adults. The local boards are directly involved with many young adult service organizations in addition to those contracted providers to braid and leverage local resources: • Orange County Department of Education's College and Career Preparatory Academy: An alternative school available to those students for whom traditional school settings are not suitable. The program assesses student learning and achievement; utilizes strategies that ensure all students learn; provides a rigorous, relevant, and realistic curriculum; and gauges multiple measures of success. Young adults in the WIOA program are referred to the Academy and in order to obtain their High School Diploma or GED. • Latino Educational Attainment Program: OCBC's Latino Educational Attainment (LEA) Initiative program was developed to help fill the gaps left by education by assisting Latino parents in learning on how to advocate for their children and to spark the importance of education in Latino neighborhoods. LEA is working to unify the community, students and parents to produce a highly skilled workforce for the future and create neighborhood -based groups that will provide navigational skills to parents in the areas of the 100 lowest - performing schools In the county • Vital Link: Vital Link has developed a series of programs and services that effectively connect business and education in introducing young adults to the requirements of the workplace and to promising careers. • National Retail Foundation (NRF): The local boards have partnered with the NRF to provide training and certification to young adults in Customer Service. The certification is portable and is aligned with the regional workforce needs in Hospitality and Tourism. • Juvenile Justice /Probation: Service Providers do presentations, provide intake and service young adults at juvenile justice centers. Referrals are also received from several juvenile justice and probation centers such as Youth Leadership Academy, Youth Guidance Center, Otto A. Fischer School, and Joplin Youth Center. Young adults gain work experience and participate in work readiness workshops to assist them in developing a positive work ethic to enter the workforce. • Social Services Agency: The Orange County Social Services Agency administers the Independent Living Program (ILP) for eligible youth as young as 17 years of age. ILP services are provided by Orangewood Children's Foundation and the Orange County Children and Family Services Transitional Planning Services Program (TPSP). Service Providers work directly with these organizations for referrals and to supplement services provided by Orangewood Children's Foundation and TPSP to ensure self - sufficiency for foster youth. Youth with disabilities have access to the WIOA Young Adult programs. In fact, Young Adult Service Providers are contractually required to ensure that 15% of their caseload must be young adults with disabilities. The local boards have partnered with the California Department of Rehabilitation to co- locate Vocational Rehabilitation staff in the Garden Grove and Irvine One -Stop Centers to better serve young adults with disabilities. Furthermore, the local boards have a long- standing relationship with Goodwill Industries of Orange County (Goodwill). Goodwill is an expert in serving individuals with disabilities In finding IV W OC Local Plan 19D -82