House Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #1865 Work Experience - Summer Youth Training
Requester:	Curtis Austin		Organization:		President, Workforce Development Enterprise Florida
Project Title:	Work Experience - Summer Youth Training		Date Submitted:		01/31/2000 8:44:45 AM
District Member:	Ron Greenstein		Service Area:		Statewide
Counties Affected:	{Statewide}
Recipient:	Workforce Development Enterprise Florida		Contact:		Curtis Austin
	325 John Knox Road, Building 200		Contact Phone:		(850) 921-1119
	Tallahassee 32303
Project Description:
The Summer Youth Employment and Training Program provides summer employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged youth. The Summer Youth program offers young people age 14-21 evaluation and assessment, employability skills training workshops, employment counseling, and supervised work experience. In some Regions, the work experience component is combined with academic remediation or enrichment activities. Participants are paid $5.15 for a part-time work experience that may last from six to eight weeks. Last summer 17,604 summer youth slots were funded statewide for youth from low income and welfare families. However, current State planners are estimating that no more than 15,000 youth will be served in the summer of 2000. We are seeking funds to restore the program to its previous slot level of 17,604, or an additional 2,604 slots.
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
Studies have shown that the Summer Youth Employment and Training Program provides participants with an opportunity to develop work discipline and job skills that will help them to succeed later in life. The benefit to the State is that young people will have the opportunity to develop a positive work ethic and job skills at an early age, which may reduce the possibility that they will be public assistance recipients later in life. Evaluations of the program have also shown that disadvantaged youth who typically lose half a grade level on standardized tests during the summer have actually improved their grade levels by several months. The benefit to the State is that these youths will not have to spend time in school remediating for the summer loss, so teachers can focus on moving them forward towards their graduation requirements. Also, allowing low-income youth, who typically feel that they are looked down upon by society, to work in the context of a professional environment may positively impact the process of self-visualization. They will have seen for themselves functioning within the context of a professional environment that rewards educational achievement with monetary gain, so their own professional goals may seem more realistic and achievable. These youth may become more motivated to complete school so that they can fulfull their own professional development. An additional benefit from this program would be that youth who may be left to their own devices during the summer months would be provided with constructive, supervised activities. Youth with little or no money and with time on their hands could conceivable begin to get themselves into trouble. However, the Summer Youth Program would provide these young people with a positive outlet through which they could earn money for clothing, food, recreational activities, etc. Thus, some youth may be prevented from having contact with the juvenile justice system.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
Varies, depending on the pre and post-testing measurements utilized in each JEP Region.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$5,250,000
Total cost of the project:		$41,250,000

Request has been made to fund:			Operations
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?				No
Was this project previously funded by the State?				No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?				Unknown
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?				No
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?				No
Is there a documented need for this project?				Yes
	Documentation:	study conducted by Westat, Inc.
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?				No