Building Youth Workforce Skills Act
The Building Youth Workforce Skills Act would amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to let local areas use Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) to fund training for certain youth. Specifically, it authorizes funds allocated to a local area to pay eligible training providers through ITAs for in-school youth aged 16 to 21 and for out-of-school youth, using the same ITA framework that currently applies to adults and dislocated workers. In effect, this creates parity between youth and adult participants by allowing youth to choose approved training programs and providers funded through ITAs rather than only traditional program-style payments. The change directs funds to pay for training services described in the relevant WIOA provisions (training under section 122(d) for those services described in section 134(c)(3)) via ITAs, mirroring the process used for adults. The goal is to expand access to skills training for eligible youth and give them more direct, provider-driven options to meet labor market needs.
Key Points
- 1Creates an “Individual Training Accounts” option for youth under WIOA, expanding how training can be funded for youth participants.
- 2Eligible youth: in-school youth ages 16-21 and out-of-school youth (broadly aligned with WIOA definitions of youth).
- 3ITAs would be funded with local area WIOA allocations and used to pay eligible training providers for specified training services.
- 4Uses the same ITA framework that applies to adults and dislocated workers (section 134(c)(3)(F)(iii)) to youth.
- 5Training must be described in the existing WIOA provisions referenced (training services described in section 134(c)(3) and provided by eligible providers under section 122(d)).