Workforce Readiness
All kids deserve an equal opportunity to prepare for life after high school. But it is critical that young people develop skills and have experiences that help them prepare for all of the different paths that could be available to them.
Communities across America face significant challenges ensuring youth are adequately prepared to enter the workforce. U.S. employers say the inability to find qualified workers is their biggest obstacle to growth while at the same time 61% of 16-to-24-year-olds believe that situations outside of their control will impact their career development including: having access to affordable, quality education and professional mentors, physical and mental health conditions and the impact of pandemic interrupted learning on their education..
Bipartisan legislation was recently introduced in Congress to address the opportunity and skills gap currently facing America’s youth. The Youth Workforce Readiness Act of 2021 would invest in the workforce of tomorrow by creating a grant program through the Department of Labor to support out-of-school time youth-serving organizations providing workforce readiness programs for youth ages 6 to 18.
To learn more about Workforce Readiness, view an in-depth breakdown here.
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