Attachment A

1. Promote and certify youth work readiness skills
   1. Support the implementation of the Regents learning standards for Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) as a tool for ensuring that youth have the work readiness skills needed for jobs and careers and that New York State has the skilled workforce to remain competitive.

      Possible activities:
      

      • Identify and disseminate promising practices to business, labor, educators, workforce leaders and practitioners, including programs funded under DOL’s youth work readiness application
      • Develop and disseminate a clear message to stakeholders about the importance of universal foundation skills to individual success in education, jobs and careers, and business competitiveness in New York State
      • Integrate CDOS learning standards into SED initiatives, e.g., middle-grades initiative to support success in high school and on-time graduation, and explore connections to the distance learning to expand access
      • Support statewide expansion of career planning and career zone
      • Integrate CDOS train-the-trainer models into state technical assistance

   2. Work with the Skills Standards and Assessments Sub-Committee of the State Workforce Investment Board to pilot a worker readiness credential for youth and adults.

      Possible Activities:

      • Help shape a national workforce readiness credential so that it can be used to certify skill attainment
      • If successful, fully engage the education (i.e., University of the State of New York), business, labor, and workforce communities in using the credential for youth
      • If successful, make full use of distance learning opportunities (PBS to SUNY learning network) to expand access to skills attainment and the work readiness credential
      • Explore connections with the Monroe County employability certificate

2. Review Sub-Committee membership and create systemic connections with youth councils
   1. Update and expand Sub-Committee membership

   2. Expand Sub-Committee participation to include youth council chairs and make formal arrangements for regular participation and communication

      Possible activities:

      • Establish a core of youth council chairs who regularly participate in Sub-committee meetings
      • Invite selected youth council chairs to present at each meeting
      • Meet with all youth council chairs bi-annually to: address critical issues and opportunities, develop consensus on directions, and share promising practices
      • Work with partners to obtain youth council input (e.g., monthly youth council chair conference calls sponsored by NYATEP and USDOL , NYATEP’s youth academy)
      • Use WIA reauthorization as an opportunity for strategic planning

3. Work with the education (USNY) and business community to advance Priority 1 (to promote and certify youth work readiness skills)
   1. Educational entities i.e., University of the State of New York (USNY)

      Possible activities:
      

      • Meet with key leaders, e.g., SUNY Chancellor Robert King and identify key events that could support Sub-Committee initiatives
      • Survey USNY to establish bench mark information, promising practices, gaps, barriers, and successful strategies for promoting partnerships
      • Incorporate workforce issues into the discussion with education leaders at the Regents 2004 convocation of the University of the State of New York
      • Incorporate successful strategies and information into state technical assistance and communication

   2. Business

      Possible activities:
      

      • Work through the New York City youth council to sponsor a high level dialogue with business, labor, education, and workforce leaders in New York City
        
      • Engage business leaders and business associations (e.g., manufacturing and health care associations) to identify high impact strategies

4. Prepare the system for change from reauthorization

   Possible activities:
   

   • Use reauthorization, including state planning requirements, for strategic planning (e.g., Chart the Course approach used in the last reauthorization)
   • Provide policy recommendations to the State Workforce Investment Board

   Outcomes

   • More youth in New York State achieve the universal foundation skills and career planning they need for educational success, jobs and careers.
   • Youth have a way of documenting skill attainment valued by businesses.
   • Businesses gain greater confidence that education and workforce programs respond to their needs.
   • State and local efforts are aligned: same page, one voice.
   • New York State leads the nation in connecting business, labor, workforce and education to prepare all youth for jobs and careers.
   • Critical capacity related to New York’s economic competitiveness is developed.