4. a. The commissioner shall, subject to appropriation, make grants to applicants for the purpose of carrying out YouthBuild programs as approved under this section. All programs funded pursuant to the provisions of this section shall reflect strong youth and community involvement. In addition, funding provided under this section shall be used by each YouthBuild program to provide, at a minimum, the following services:
(1)integrated education and job skills training services and activities which are evenly divided within the program, with 50 percent of students' time spent in classroom-based instruction, counseling, and leadership development instruction and 50 percent of their time spent in service learning experiences at construction sites. The programs shall include, at a minimum, the
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4. a. The commissioner shall, subject to appropriation, make grants to applicants for the purpose of carrying out YouthBuild programs as approved under this section. All programs funded pursuant to the provisions of this section shall reflect strong youth and community involvement. In addition, funding provided under this section shall be used by each YouthBuild program to provide, at a minimum, the following services: (1) integrated education and job skills training services and activities which are evenly divided within the program, with 50 percent of students' time spent in classroom-based instruction, counseling, and leadership development instruction and 50 percent of their time spent in service learning experiences at construction sites. The programs shall include, at a minimum, the following elements: (a) an education component which includes basic skills instruction, secondary education services, and other activities designed to lead to the attainment of a high school diploma or its equivalent. The curriculum for this component shall include math, language arts, vocational education, life skills training, social studies related to the cultural and community history of the students, leadership skills, and other topics at the discretion of the programs; (b) a vocational learning experience and skills training component apprenticeship program that includes the construction and rehabilitation activities described in paragraph (4) of this subsection. The process of construction shall be tied with skills training and with close on-site supervision by experienced trainers. The curriculum for this component shall contain a set of locally agreed upon skills and competencies that are systematically taught, with a student's mastery assessed individually on a regular, ongoing basis. Safety skills shall be taught at the outset. The vocational learning experience and skills training component shall be coordinated to the maximum extent feasible with pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. In order to receive grant funding, programs shall offer vocational learning experiences that conclude with the administration of assessments to obtain an industry-valued credential, per the list provided by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development; and (c) assistance in attaining post-secondary education and required financial aid to be made available to participants prior to graduation; (2) counseling services designed to assist participants to positively participate in society, which should include all of the following if necessary: outreach, assessment, and orientation; individual and peer counseling; life skills training, drug and alcohol abuse education and prevention; and referral to appropriate drug rehabilitation, medical, mental health, legal, housing, and other services and resources in the community; (3) leadership development training that provides participants with meaningful opportunities to develop leadership skills such as decision making, problem solving, and negotiating. The program shall also encourage participants to develop strong peer group ties that support their mutual pursuit of skills and values. All programs shall establish a youth council in which participants are afforded opportunities to develop public speaking and negotiating skills and management and policy-making participation in specific aspects of the program; and (4) assistance with the acquisition, rehabilitation, acquisition and rehabilitation, or construction of housing and related facilities which will serve as the vocational training sites and then to be used for the purpose of providing home ownership for disadvantaged persons, residential housing for homeless individuals, and low-income and very low-income families, or transitional housing for persons who are homeless, have disabilities, are ill, are de-institutionalized, or have special needs and rehabilitation or construction of community facilities owned by not-for-profit or public agencies. b. A YouthBuild program shall provide a stipend to participants to cover the costs associated with their full-time participation in the program. The stipend shall not be considered as income in determining eligibility for other State or federal assistance programs. Stipends may be distributed in a manner that offers incentives for good performance. c. Full-time participation in a YouthBuild program shall be offered for a period of not less than six months and not more than 24 months. d. A concentrated effort shall be made to find jobs for all graduates of the program who have performed well. The skills training curriculum shall provide participants with basic preparation for seeking and maintaining a job. Follow-up counseling and assistance in job-seeking shall also be provided to participants for the 12 months following graduation from the program. e. All programs serving 20 trainees or more are required to have a full-time director responsible for the coordination of all aspects of the YouthBuild program. L.2023, c.334, s.4.