America's Opportunity Youth Deserve an Equitable Economic Recovery: Recommendations to the Biden Administration for Youth Employment Policy

In today's volatile economy, we can no longer afford to underinvest in America's opportunity youth. The costs of ignoring these young people, who are disconnected from education and out of work, are too high and growing. Building skills and gaining work experience are key to young people's upward mobility, but the pandemic has all but shut off opportunities for employment. In addition, funding for programs helping low-income, disconnected youth has declined precipitously since its peak in the late 1970s. To reverse this trend, we need big and bold solutions that create strong bridges between education and employment for young people. Federal policies must provide solutions that include postsecondary education and training that is of high quality and affordable. They must also offer paid work experiences and holistic supports to ensure that youth receive the services they need to access and persist in education, training, and work. To accomplish this, Jobs for the Future (JFF) urges the Biden Administration to take the following actions: (1) Increase Funding for Programs Serving Opportunity Youth; (2) Increase Program Quality and Expand Services for Opportunity Youth; (3) Expand Access to Work-Based Learning and Good Jobs; and (4) Align Youth Programs and Investments.