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1 Conference Call Line: (605 ) 313 - 411
Conference Call Line: (605 ) 313 - 4118 Access Code: 771956 27 W ARREN S TREET , 3 RD F LOOR S OMERVILLE , NJ 08876 (908) 541 - 5785 WWW .T HE GRWDB . ORG GRWDB Youth Committee Post - Meeting Materials Thursday August 1 , 2019, 10:00 am Raritan Valley Community College Workforce Training Center , Room 215 118 La mington Rd, Branchburg, NJ 08876 1. Meeting Minutes 2. SETC Youth L istening Tou

2 r Chart 3. Youth Employment Service
r Chart 3. Youth Employment Services (YES) Brochure 4. Aspen Youth Report 2019 : Sha ping the Narrative , t hought leadership piece on workforce development collaborative s in regards to effectively serving local youth populations �� Conference Call Line:(605) 3134118Access Code:771956 ARREN TREETLOOROMERVILLE GRWDB YouthCommittee MeetingMinutesThursdayAugust 1, 2019, 10:00 amRaritan Valley Community College Workforce Traini

3 ng Center, Room 215 The meeting began wi
ng Center, Room 215 The meeting began with introductions and a statement of purpose. Paul Grzella said he someone currently in attendance to agree to becomethe chair for future meetings, noting that they will have the total support of GRWDB staff for minutes, organizational topics and other work as needed. The Youth Committee is one of four statemandated committees, Grzella explained; the committee has not met for three years, and this meeting represented the

4 reconstitution have callin capabilitie
reconstitution have callin capabilities. There also may be a need for oneoff task force meetings or subcommittees, though this will be determined as the committee understands its responsibilities, becomes more robust and sets its direction. Because the new funding year has begun (July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020), the Youth Committee will have the opportunity to see how the work is currently being done and how it could be reviewed for 2020 relevant resources.

5 Grzella explained the committee decides
Grzella explained the committee decides if what it wants to take on and thus creates a direction or devises steps that can be forwarded to the fully convened board for consideration, review and approval. To get an idea of how the program is currently working, Mike Mistretta and Mike Rodriguez, One Stop Youth Employment Services, described whothey serve and how. The program is funded through WIOA and serves a population of 1624 year old at �� Confe

6 rence Call Line:(605) 3134118Access Code
rence Call Line:(605) 3134118Access Code:771956 ARREN TREETLOOROMERVILLE(908)GRWDBORG be challenging, Mistretta said. Besides gathering the documentation, clients also must be tested (which also can be a challenge too, because the test itself is very difficult and may constitute tutoring afterward should the student fail). After that, students participate in a career exercise to sample career paths and figure out what they are looking to do occupationally. After

7 that, the students are referred to the V
that, the students are referred to the Visions program from Middle Earth.In Visions, the students are trained with employment readiness training (includes resume writing, financial literacy and independent living) as well as experience in the field, according to Jack Teeters. The goal is to get the students a certificate in a sustainable career pathway, while also remaining flexible. For example,a recent student interested in video production was then certified i

8 n Apple Finalcut Pro. After employment r
n Apple Finalcut Pro. After employment readiness training, the students get a paid internship at a local business. The challenging part of this is that students don’t know what exactly they want to do yet, so making that match ofinterests can take time. The program also helps with transportation and tries to be as flexible as possible, always with the idea of trying to help the student get and keep a job.Mistretta mentioned that the testing is important beca

9 use they have to make sure students can
use they have to make sure students can perform and succeed in the program. The counselors also help with enrolling in grantfunded training at the One Stop, and help with job search, focusing on in employment in the field the students were trained in. Once a student is enrolled or working at a job, the One Stop has to check in with the student quarterly to ensure they are still on track, as this is part of the performance metrictracking required by the state and

10 WIOA (this also can be challenging becau
WIOA (this also can be challenging because keeping track of a individuals always on the move is difficult).Rodriguez added that while they are focused on training, many of the clients need support with accessing other crucial services before they can even begin training. Essentially, they seek to provide “wraparound” services that will enable the students to get and a keep a job. Many of the clients go through social services and need a variety of diffe

11 rent services, like TANF, or those on th
rent services, like TANF, or those on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program).Youth Employment Services is a rolling program. Typically, they are working with 48 or so students and sometimes enrollment reaches as high as 60, though it is important to note that participants can disappear without warning and consequently, cannot be reached anymore. Typically, students are part of the program for 1 ½ to 2 years, which includes the followup after the st

12 udents get a certificate and a job. Rodr
udents get a certificate and a job. Rodriguezalso noted that they often meet with potential clients who end up not enrolling because of their family situation or other barriers, as students are impacted by mental health or addiction issues as well. There is very little overlap with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) services, but there is an associated stigma which keeps students from wo

13 rking with DVR. Mistretta reiterated tha
rking with DVR. Mistretta reiterated that a significant barrier continues to be transportationstudents can find a program they like, but they don’t have any way to get there. �� Conference Call Line:(605) 3134118Access Code:771956 ARREN TREETLOOROMERVILLE(908)GRWDBORG Monica Mulligan thenexplained how the One Stop Career Center came to work with solely this outschool population, as under WIOA, a One Stop could work with a small number of inscho

14 ol youth as well. Working with inschool
ol youth as well. Working with inschool is difficult because it is harder to meet performances measures, which includes acquiring certification, a job and literacy. With kids in school systems, their academic and social needs should be satiated. In response to a question about who is being served and how, Mulligan also noted that if there is someone who walks in looking for this certain program and does not meet the program’s eligibility requirements, Mistre

15 tta and Rodriquez refer them to other pr
tta and Rodriquez refer them to other programs that can help them. She also noted that a few years ago, the One Stop went under a correctiveaction by the State because it was not meeting its metrics. So, in order to continue to get funding to support the youth population, a line has to be drawn on what can and can’t be done, but always with the idea that a client can be connected elsewhere. Cowart noted that because of different requirements and the barriers

16 being presented by prospective clients,
being presented by prospective clients, it is getting increasingly hard to help people. Services are overwhelmed, in what she called “a human service epidemic.” Mulligan noted that during youth outreach, they often never hear back from prospective clients. Not using the services available can be an active or passive choice by the client, as sometimes, students have to wait a few years to have their own personal experience to see what they need or how t

17 he services can help.Sejal Davé Sharma
he services can help.Sejal Davé Sharma of RWJB Somerset noted that the hospital sees a number of these potential clients through its different programs, like substance abuse and/or abuse services, neonatal services, behavioral health services and eating disorder services. There are a number of socioeconomic patterns and disadvantages that induce those health issues that bring them into the hospital. The hospital also does some referrals to Middle Earth and other

18 services. As a result of what the syste
services. As a result of what the system is seeing at all its locations, it has begun a new program called Healing Homeresidential houses in Somerville owned by the hospital which have been renovated by the hospital for families needing continued care outside of the hospital. The first house is complete and the occupying family includes the mother (who was living out of her car) and her two teenage children (who were couchsurfing.) They will receive a variety of

19 services and will be able to live in th
services and will be able to live in the furnished home rentfree for two years, with the goal of getting on a sustainable and safe pathway to an improved quality of life. The hospital has several other homes around the Somerville campus which will be renovated as the program expands. The program challenges the boundaries of what a hospital thought it could do. Knowing what services the One Stop provides is helpful to Sharma because she can share them with the pr

20 ogram coordinators to see how else they
ogram coordinators to see how else they can support these services. Mulligan noted that the mother could qualify fora training grant. Sharma noted the program really feels like it is doing exactly what it was designed to do and saw the sharing of information as another way to connect resources across industry silos.April Robinson asked if Youth Employment Services use personality assessment tests like MyersBriggs and so forth. Mulligan noted that the One Stop has

21 several personality assessments availab
several personality assessments available, but for this population, they often aren’t applicable because of the clients’ situations. Robinson noted that shefinds they help students understand their �� Conference Call Line:(605) 3134118Access Code:771956 ARREN TREETLOOROMERVILLE(908)GRWDBORG communication styles and direction, and Mulligan reiterated that they are available as needed.Brenda Esler asked if the program could serve current R

22 aritan Valley Community College (RVCC) s
aritan Valley Community College (RVCC) students who are at risk of dropping out because of homelessness. Rodriguez responded that the students have to have dropped out, or no longer be enrolled in any schooling, in order to receive services. Mulligan noted that sometimes students in this situation are referred to social services for assistance. This appears to be gap in services that could be addressed.The discussion then focused on the training programs and qual

23 ifications as well as the growing appren
ifications as well as the growing apprenticeship programs at RVCC and elsewhere. The group also discussedhow students often have unrealistic expectations about what is possible and what isn’t in today’s worldstudents need “reality checks.” This also means understanding that careers continue to evolve and perhaps someone can have a sidegig in their passion while they are pursuing something else to be financially stable, Mulligan said. Finding o

24 ut what someone’s passions are and
ut what someone’s passions are and how they can help achieve them should be part of the conversation, Robinson said. Dreams should not be crushed, particularly in thispopulation, Mulligan added.Grzella talked about the availability of Labor Market Information and how the committee can use it for directional purposes. The material is routinely shared with board members and will now be posted on the Greater Raritan website (www.thegrwdb.org ). A NJDLWD Data A

25 nalyst for Greater Raritan is also avail
nalyst for Greater Raritan is also available for assistance. These data sets are meant to be one tool the committee uses as it looks to set strategy and potential policy as thelived experiences of clients are meant to part of the conversation, too. A data set on the most popular jobs in the region was shared. Mulligan said that some of the state data is used internally (Employment Services posts the in demand jobs data set in its public space), but she reminded t

26 he group that the population the One Sto
he group that the population the One Stop works with is focused on getting basic services first it’s often baby steps before they are ready to pursue a career pathway so for the population, the jobs shown are often not ones they are ready for or are interested in. The discussion touched for a short time on college readiness, college affordability, and the new free tuition program launched at RVCC and other state community college. Grzella shared the new RVCC

27 pamphletabout the tuition program and s
pamphletabout the tuition program and said he would drop off copies at ES and the One Stop Resource Center.Every Local Area has a Youth program, Mulligan noted. They are all different but similar, because of how the legislation was created.The WIOA dashboard was shared with the committee as it is another tool that the committee can use. However, this dashboard continues to have reporting issues that may not be worked out until 2021. �� Conference C

28 all Line:(605) 3134118Access Code:771956
all Line:(605) 3134118Access Code:771956 ARREN TREETLOOROMERVILLE(908)GRWDBORG Also shared with the committee was a new tool and glossary of definitions puttogether by Kyree Robinson of the SETC, who is doing a statewide Youth Listening Tour. He is having individual meetings with each WDB director and youth personnel to talk about local area youth services, how success is defined and what gaps may exist. K. Robinson’s goal is to create a list of Youth Commit

29 tee best practices around New Jersey. Th
tee best practices around New Jersey. The tool he created also can be used by Youth Committee members to determine what they want to do and the level of involvement they want to have, up to and including creating and identifying funding for new programs (this tool is included at end of these minutes, and all of Robinson’s material was included in the meeting agenda).The opportunity for the committee is to decide what they want to do and take a deeper lookint

30 o how the youth program is operating and
o how the youth program is operating and decide if it satisfied with the current outcomes or decide if new programs or ways of reaching the population should be considered. This also can include trying to identify new funding streams.After further discussion, Brenda Esler agreed to be the committee’s Chair. Her role will be to run each meeting, create task forces as needed and help plan the committee’s agenda. She will do this with the full support of G

31 RWDB staff, which will be responsible fo
RWDB staff, which will be responsible for settingmeeting dates, getting meeting space, recording meeting minutes and crafting the meeting agenda with Esler’s review. GRWDB staff will also be part of all meetings, act as the conduit for all meeting materials and related data, and send all communications to committee members.Sharma asked what the next steps would be, or what should the group be working on next and what are its next action steps? The group want

32 s a list of items it can address. Toward
s a list of items it can address. Toward that goal, the group agreed that it would focus on how the One Stop youth program is currently organized, during a more granular analysis of customerflow. As part of this, for its next meeting, the group will review the youth program’s processing map to see if there are any gaps those gaps they can be areasfor discussion, whether it can be addressed or it can’t because of organizational requirements. Sebban also

33 asked that the group share out individua
asked that the group share out individual success stories so the committee members can see how people are impacted. Mulligan noted that as part of the dashboard system, the state recognizes not all the work being done for youth is being captured and recorded, so other measurements are being incorporated or captured to adequately reflect all the work being done. Mulliganmentioned a client that had a job who was able to live on her own, but because of how the state

34 measurement system works, was not count
measurement system works, was not counted as a success in two criteria. Sebban noted that having this type of information will help the Youth Committee membersbetter understand what is actually happening and what are successes for clients. Sebban asked if it would be possible to have a youth serve on the committee. Mulligan said it is has been a challenge in trying to see if there is a current youth involved or an alumni who would have time for the committee. Th

35 ey will continue to try to identify &#x
ey will continue to try to identify �� Conference Call Line:(605) 3134118Access Code:771956 ARREN TREETLOOROMERVILLE(908)GRWDBORG someone. It was noted that having one person come to just one meeting to share their story would be impactful.There being no further business (aside from an announcement of the 11th Annual Steeplechase Distance Run to benefit the Steeplechase Cancer Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset on Sunday Sep

36 tember 29, 2019 in Hillsborough, NJ), th
tember 29, 2019 in Hillsborough, NJ), the meeting comes to a close. Attachment 1 StaffHandlesSYVCSETC(Draft)July 1, 2019 Based Upon, “Recipes For Success: A Youth Committee Guide under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act WIOA”Youth Council Decision MakingModel Level of Involvement Initiates wequired CommitteeInitiates s Handles Policy Direction System Design Resource Leveraging Planning Performance Improvement Oversight evel

37 of Involvement &#x L-3;&#x 000; Objecti
of Involvement &#x L-3;&#x 000; Objectives ˅ www.YEStoWORKNJ.org Contacts Community Outreach Contacts for Enrolling: Hunterdon County Susan Rozycki 908-635-6456 srozycki@hcvsd.org Somerset County Kyle Vandenberg 908-725-7223 ext. 21 kvandenberg@middleearthnj.org Maggie Navato 908-725-7223 Ext. 24 mnavato@middleearthnj.org The YES Program is funded by a Grant from the New Jersey Department of Labor & Greater Raritan Workforce Investment Board. Somerset County F

38 reeholders Brian D. Levine, Freeholder D
reeholders Brian D. Levine, Freeholder Director Brian G. Gallagher, Freeholder Shanel Y. Robinson, Freeholder Sara Sooy, Freeholder Hunterdon County Freeholders Suzanne Lagay, Freeholder Director John E. Lanza, Freeholder Deputy Director J. Matthew Holt, Freeholder Susan Soloway, Freeholder Shaun C. Van Doren, Freeholder Say YES to YOUR FUTURE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROGRAM for Hunterdon and Somerset Counties Ages 16 to 24 How Can YES Help? The Youth Employmen

39 t Service Program offers the following
t Service Program offers the following FREE services to out of school youth and young adults 16 to 24: • Case Management • Tutoring and Instruction • Investment Training Grant up to $4,000 for eligible training programs • 14 hours of PAID Job Skills Training ($9/hr.) Job Application Assistance Resume Writing Job Interviewing Skills Assistance In Locating Job Opportunities • Participate in up to 20 hrs. (4 weeks) of paid caree

40 r sampling ($9/hr.) • Earn one of m
r sampling ($9/hr.) • Earn one of many valuable workplace credentials Who is Eligible? All Out of School Youth 16-24 Years Old High School Graduate or Drop-Out If you are a resident of Hunterdon or Somerset County, are between the ages of 16 and 24,out of school and possess one or more of the following challenges, you will be eligible to participate in the YES Program. • Have a physical, mental health, or learning disability diagnosis • Pregn

41 ant or parenting • Runaway or homel
ant or parenting • Runaway or homeless • Juvenile justice or criminal justice involved • Individual with recent substance abuse or dependency • Involved in the Foster Care System High School Drop-Outs Automatically Qualify When I started the YES program, I was a 20 year-old mom of a three month old baby. I had given up on ever going back to school because of my responsibilities. I heard about this program and decided to give it a try. Thr

42 ee years later, I am now certi񦀆
ee years later, I am now certi�ed in Multimedia Communications and working towards my degree to be a substance abuse counselor. I have been on the Dean’s list and my GPA is the highest it’s ever been. The YES program gave me the tools I needed to get myself to where I wanted to be in life. I am grateful for this program and to the people who worked with me. – Nicole T. Preparing Tomorrow’s Workforce…Today Preparing Tomor