FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2024
Contact: Emma Bittner
(972) 510-3395 | Emma.Bittner@younginvincibles.org
House of Representatives Passes Bill to Reauthorize WIOA Impacting Young Adult Career Pathways
(Washington, DC) – This Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the Stronger Workforce for America Act, which would reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). This reauthorization will directly impact young adult career pathways by strengthening access to training opportunities like apprenticeships. A Stronger Workforce for America improved the WIOA system in many ways, however, more needs to be done to revolutionize current systems.
One significant improvement is the introduction of Conditional Eligibility for newer programs of those building a base of outcomes to achieve standard eligibility. This provision allows young adults to participate in a training activity while the provider determines if a participant is qualified, making it significantly easier for young adults to focus on starting job training rather than proving they are eligible candidates.
Additionally, by expanding the definition of “youth” to “opportunity youth,” this legislation will create a more equitable eligibility system. The other positive provisions increase funding for work experiences, and streamline the enrollment process. It also strengthens career and technical training pipelines by allowing in-school youth to use individual training accounts for CTE programs.
While this bill improves many aspects of the WIOA system that will expand training opportunities for young adults, several provisions will hinder career growth for young adults.
A major issue is a reduction in the requirement for State’s spending on opportunity youth from 75 percent to 65 percent. This change could potentially lead to decreased support for the most vulnerable youth populations, which is a step in the wrong direction. Furthermore, while the requirement for longer internships to be paid is beneficial, fair pay and consistency for all internships across the local area is necessary. Lastly, there was no provision re-establishing youth workforce boards which would increase youth representation/decision-making power for local and state workforce development initiatives.
In response, Alex Lundrigan, Workforce and Finance Policy Coordinator at Young Invincibles said:
“Effective workforce pathways are critical to economic opportunity for young adults. A Stronger Workforce for America Act is a step in the right direction for a more functional and equitable workforce system. However, it lacks necessary components which focus on workforce boards, data collection, state plans, and the navigator system.
Before the Senate considers the Stronger Workforce for America Act, legislators must pause and meet with advocates to discuss revisions and additions that will strengthen any final version of the bill. Ultimately, the bipartisan nature of this bill casts an optimistic outlook for the future of WIOA reauthorization. Young Invincibles will continue to advocate for a comprehensive bill that ensures the WIOA system facilitates equitable career pathways.”
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Young Invincibles (YI) is a national advocacy and policy nonprofit organization focused on amplifying the voice of young people in the political process at the local, state, and federal levels. YI focuses on issues impacting young adults ages 18 to 34 in higher education, health care, economic security, and civic engagement. Our offices include Washington, D.C., California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Texas. For more information, please contact Emma Bittner at (972) 510-3395 or emma.bittner@younginvincibles.org