OTHER YOUTH SERVICES

The Joint High School Program - In New York City, State DOL staff work with some 45 cooperating high schools to register seniors who plan to work after graduation. The seniors discuss their work interests, school performance, and scores on aptitude tests, and participate in other work-related activities that help them to select appropriate jobs. The program also helps drop-outs to find jobs as quickly as possible after leaving school. Staffers help the students who register in the program to find part-time jobs. Toward the end of the school year, they refer students who plan to work full-time after graduation to suitable job openings.

In other parts of the state, DOL staff undertake cooperative activities based on the needs of the schools in their area and the capacities of the school guidance staff.

Youth Employment- Specially trained interviewers and vocational counselors advise out-of-school youths and refer them to suitable jobs. They make special efforts to place disadvantaged and/or inexperienced minors aged 16 to 22. The program staff often refer unemployed youths who need training to projects sponsored under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), local school programs, and community-based agency training programs. For example, the Department of Labor can refer minors to programs developed through recent WIA youth legislation to Youth Employment and Training Programs conducted by WIA Service Delivery Areas.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) - Special incentives for employers to hire minors are provided under the WOTC Program. An employer can claim a credit for each youth aged 18 through 24 that they hire who has been certified by the New York State Department of Labor as being a member of one of the WOTC target groups. The employer can claim a Federal tax credit equal to 40% of the first $6,000 of wages ($2,400 maximum) paid to each eligible individual during the first year of employment.

Minors aged 16 through 19 from economically disadvantaged families and participating in an approved cooperative education program also qualify, the employer for the tax credit described above.

For each youth aged 16 or 17, first hired between May 1 and September 15 and certified by the Job Service as being a member of an economically disadvantaged family, the employer may claim a Federal tax credit equal to 85% of the first $3,000 wages ($2,550 maximum) paid for any 90-day period between May 1 and September 15.

Summer Jobs for Youth - Each year the Community Service Division promotes the hiring of youths for summer jobs and refers youth to summer job openings.

Adolescent Vocational Exploration (AVE) - The AVE Program, a career education program for youth, attempts to intervene in the lives of "at-risk' youth before they have to face the consequences of inadequate preparation for the job market. Intervention may begin as early as age 14 while there is still time for youth to identify and shape their own skills and vocational direction.

AVE provides an opportunity for minors to learn the skills and attitudes they will need to get a job, to understand the importance of the formal preparation that school provides, and to obtain first-hand experience in jobs and through interaction with role models in their communities.

The program is designed for economically disadvantaged youth, ages 14 through 17, who are in need of extraordinary support due to environmental, economic, or personal circumstances. This may include underachievers, truants, or potential dropouts. Program activities include field and classroom career exploration, group and individual counseling, and educational activities leading to academic credit.

Program implementation involves the active collaboration of the Department of Labor and community-based organizations along with the involvement of other parties such as local employers, schools, the State Education Department, and Service Delivery Areas.