Sponsor: Workforce Solutions
Title
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2025 Unified Local Youth Plan for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Minnesota Youth Program
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Recommendation
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1. Approve the 2025 Unified Local Youth Plan for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Youth and Minnesota Youth Program for the period upon execution through March 31, 2026.
2. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the Youth Plan.
3. Authorize the County Manager to enter into agreements and execute amendments to agreements in accordance with the county's procurement policies and procedures, provided the amounts are within the approved Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Youth and Minnesota Youth Program budgets.
4. Authorize the County Manager to enter into expenditure grant agreements and execute amendments to agreements in a form approved by Finance and the County Attorney’s Office provided the amounts of funding are within the limits of the approved program budgets.
5. Authorize the County Manager to apply for and accept additional Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Youth and Minnesota Youth Program grant funds as they become available under the Grant Agreement.
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Background and Rationale
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Ramsey County Workforce Solutions (WFS) provides employment services for low-income and at-risk youth (ages 14-24) through state and federal grants. Each year, WFS is required to submit an updated Unified Local Youth Plan (Plan) to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners and the Workforce Innovation Board of Ramsey County (WIB) must approve the Plan.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Minnesota Youth Program (MYP) continue to build momentum in career pathways partnerships, employer engagement activities and strategies for improved service delivery and participant outcomes. The service delivery model employed by WFS is a collaborative service model that partners with community organizations, education providers, and employers to eliminate economic, educational, and income disparities.
WFS delivers Youth and Young Adult Employment Services through agreements with ten organizations - of which the following seven currently receive WIOA and MYP funding: Hired, Face to Face, Goodwill Easter-Seals of MN, Change Inc., Hmong American Partnership, Tree Trust, and Urban Boat Builders. These agreements will remain in place through June 30, 2027. WFS will amend contracts on an annual basis to allocate new DEED-distributed funds.
The Unified Local Youth Plan for the Program Year 2025 (April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026) and the State Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026) is due to DEED on April 11, 2025. The Plan reflects recommendations and updates approved by the WIB Youth Committee on March 20, 2025, and the full WIB on April 3, 2025.
WIOA Youth and MYP funds for the 2025 program year have not yet been determined due to delays of information from the U.S. Department of Labor and DEED. Because of this delay, DEED has not included budget forms for this program in the annual plan. Once allocation amounts are provided, DEED will provide budget templates and WFS will submit a budget to DEED for approval and, subsequently, to the county board.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
The vision, strategies, funding, and execution of the plan help to positively impact racial equity through increased opportunities for education and employment of Ramsey County young people, including those who are racially and ethnically diverse, ages 14-24, improving their outlook for greater short- and long-term economic well-being. During the previous program year, 88% of youth served identified as a race other than white and all faced at least one barrier to employment.
Additionally, labor market information continues to show ongoing economic challenges that were exacerbated by COVID-19 and continue for young people in Ramsey County including educational disruption and other systemic challenges for opportunity youth to engage in education activities and to obtain employment. This data informed the development of the RFPs released in November 2021 and the selection of the 10 contractors that have provided WFS’ Youth and Young Adult services since April 2022, as well as newer and complementary service models using braided funds from other grants. Strategies outlined in the plan aim to deepen support for practitioners and youth, ensuring a 'no wrong door' approach to accessing employment and training with an emphasis to connect our opportunity youth to services leveraging ARPA funding. In coordination with these efforts, the service provided by WIOA outlined in the plan provide services to reduce barriers to work and provide pathways to careers through occupational education/training to reduce racial economic disparities in Ramsey County communities.
Ramsey County continues to invest the local workforce and business community by creating a more inclusive economy for diverse jobseekers, employer partners, and other stakeholders. As stated in the county’s Economic Competitiveness and Inclusion Plan, Ramsey County is a place as rich in cultural vitality as it is rich in economic opportunity. Wage disparities across racial lines have stymied economic growth and created affordability and livability challenges for individuals and families. A renewed and targeted focus on job access, skills training, and high-wage industry growth, coupled with intentional efforts to dismantle institutional racism, will create numerous, efficacious pathways for Ramsey County’s most disadvantaged residents. Moreover, this focus has the potential to close stagnant racial income and wealth gaps while simultaneously accelerating economic growth in Ramsey County.
Community Participation Level and Impact
The Youth Plan was developed with input from WFS staff, WIB Youth Committee members and meeting attendees, WIB members-including representatives from community-based organizations, private sector employers, and public agencies-as well as three young people hired from Ramsey County’s Youth Advisory Council. The plan is reviewed by the WIB Youth Committee and approved by the full WIB before being brought to the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners for final comments and approval.
WFS has incorporated community input annually through a variety of engagement activities and events. The most extensive community engagement occurred in 2021, when WFS partnered with the youth-led organization Bridgemakers to conduct a series of focus groups with young people. This work, which built upon feedback gathered through evaluations of CARES-funded youth investments, played a key role in reshaping the county’s youth workforce service model. That process led to greater coordination across multiple systems (county, city, schools, etc.) and informed the development of the RFP that shifted WFS from a primarily internal service model to one that leverages a diverse network of community-based providers.
Since then, WFS has continued to refine and enhance youth workforce services based on ongoing community engagement. In addition to regular input from working groups focused on issues such as youth homelessness, employer needs, and educational alignment, WFS conducts direct outreach with young people each year. Most recently, in 2024, WFS completed an end-of-year program satisfaction survey distributed to youth participants and held focused conversations with the Youth Advisory Council. These engagements-designed and led by young people-directly informed the development of new youth-focused initiatives outlined in the Plan.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☒ Involve ☒ Collaborate ☒ Empower
Fiscal Impact
DEED allocations covered in the plan are both federal and state funded employment and training grants. Neither WIOA Youth funds for the 2025 Program Year nor MYP funds for the 2026 State Fiscal Year have yet been determined, but based on a projected statewide funding decline of 10%, it is likely that Ramsey County’s annual WIOA allocation will decrease in Program Year 2025, from the Program Year 2024 allocation of $688,063.00. Similarly, based on ongoing discussions at the state legislature, MYP funding levels will likely revert back to levels seen in State Fiscal Year 2023 ($472,082.00) and mark a major decrease from the supplemented funding levels of State Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025 ($962,974.00).
Due to the delay in determining WIOA Youth and MYP allocations, DEED has asked local Workforce Development Boards to submit the Plan without budget information attached. Once WIOA Youth allocations are received, WFS will complete a new budget modification and submit to DEED for approval. Programs will be maintained within allocated grants with no net fiscal impact to WFS.
Last Previous Action
On March 19, 2024, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved the Program Year 2024 Unified Local Youth Plan (Resolution B2024-052).
Attachments
1. Unified Local Youth Plan PY2025 WIOA Youth Formula Funds SFY2026 Minnesota Youth Programs