§ 34:15F-13 — Development, administration of program.

2. a. In cooperation with the Disadvantaged Youth Employment Opportunities Council established in section 1 of P.L.2001, c.446 (C.34:15F-12), the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, in consultation with the State Employment and Training Commission shall develop and administer the employment program established under this act. The commissioner shall, to the greatest extent feasible, attempt to achieve a balance of enrolled disadvantaged youth from the northern, central, and southern parts of the State. b. The Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, in consultation with the State Employment and Training Commission, the Department of Education, the Youth Justice Commission, and the council, shall develop procedures relating to the program referral process; establish the selection criteria for participants which shall include the identification of local disadvantaged youths assessed by local law enforcement and juvenile corrections authorities as being at risk of gang membership or involvement or reinvolvement in the criminal justice system and students who are not meeting minimal district standards of behavior and academic achievement; provide a listing of employers who have agreed to participate in the program; and establish the process which will be utilized for matching disadvantaged youth to employment opportunities that will enhance the self-esteem and assimilation of life skills necessary for productive functioning in the school setting and society. L.2001, c.446, s.2; amended 2007, c.189, s.2; 2025, c.35, s.57.