Workforce Investment Act: Youth Provisions Promote New Service Strategies, but Additional Guidance Would Enhance Program Development. Report to Congressional Requesters.

Directors of 505 local workforce investment boards (WIBs) nationwide were surveyed to understand implementation status, linkages with education, and factors affecting implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. Findings indicated nearly all local WIBs established a youth council and a network of youth service providers; local boards found it challenging to get parents and youth to participate on youth councils; a number of local areas found it difficult to identify and select youth service providers through the competitive selection process because low numbers of providers responded to requests for proposals; educators participated on youth councils and delivered services but remained tentative partners; two factors facilitated implementation--experience in collaborative efforts among youth-serving agencies and placing priority on youth development; and legislative requirements (such as documenting income eligibility, meeting spending requirement for out-of-school youth, measuring performance indicators and setting performance goals, and meeting partnering requirements) impeded implementation progress or adversely affected service delivery. Appendixes include a comparison of key youth provisions under WIA and the Job Training Partnership Act and Department of Labor comments. (Contains 28 footnotes.) (YLB)