(a) Commencing 30 days after October 20, 2005, and subject to the annual appropriation of funds, the Mayor shall establish and operate a year round program to provide domiciliaries of the District of Columbia between the ages of 14 and 24 years with training and work experience in both the public and private sectors of the economy. The Mayor shall target the services of this program to those youth residing in persistent problem areas of the District where such factors as crime, lack of economic development, and high unemployment create a particular need for the services of this program.

(b) Youth participants shall be certified by the Department of Employment Services as to residence and income. Priority in the selection of participants shall be given to hard-to-serve youth residing in persistent problem areas of the District that the Mayor may further identify by executive order.

(c) Youth participants shall be assessed for work experience placement suitability at the time of entry into the program and shall receive case management services during their period of participation in the program.

(d) Based upon the initial assessment, youth participants may be referred to and shall successfully complete employment counseling, leadership and life skills training, pre-employment training, or occupational skills training in demand occupations prior to placement in paid work.

(e) After participants have been assessed and determined to be ready for placement in work experience, they shall be placed in available work positions that pay stipends, training wages or wages in such amounts as the Mayor may determine to be appropriate for the work position and participant.

(f) The Mayor shall also provide participants with job development services, job retention counseling, and unsubsidized job placement assistance.

(Jan. 5, 1980, D.C. Law 3-46, § 2a [redesignated], formerly § 3; as added Oct. 20, 2005, D.C. Law 16-33, § 2052, 52 DCR 7503; renumbered Mar. 2, 2007, D.C. Law 16-191, § 5(k), 53 DCR 6794; Sept. 18, 2007, D.C. Law 17-20, § 2032, 54 DCR 7052; redesignated as § 2b, Sept. 11, 2019, D.C. Law 23-16, § 2142(a), 66 DCR 8621.)

This section is referenced in § 1-328.05.

D.C. Law 16-191 validated previously made technical corrections in subsec. (a) and (b).

D.C. Law 17-20, in subsec. (a), substituted “ages of 14” for “ages of 16”.

For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 2052 of Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2005 (D.C. Act 16-168, July 26, 2005, 52 DCR 7667).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 3(d) of Finance and Revenue Technical Amendments Second Emergency Amendment Act of 2006 (D.C. Act 16-585, December 28, 2006, 54 DCR 340).

For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2032 of Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2007 (D.C. Act 17-74, July 25, 2007, 54 DCR 7549).

Short title: Section 2031 of D.C. Law 17-20 provided that subtitle D of title II of the act may be cited as the “Youth Employment Amendment Act of 2007”.