Finding 513490 (2024-001)

Significant Deficiency Repeat Finding
Requirement
G
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2024
Accepted
2024-12-09

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The program did not spend the required 20% of funds on youth work experiences, only reaching 17% by June 30, 2024.
  • Impacted Requirements: This violates the federal requirement under WIOA that mandates a minimum of 20% of allocated funds be used for work experiences.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Management should create a strategy to increase youth enrollment and participation in the program to meet compliance.

Finding Text

2024-001 20% Program Expenditures for Youth Work Experience Federal Agency: Department of Labor Federal Programs: 17.259 Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) – Youth Activities (Passed through MassHire Department of Career Services (MDCS)) Condition: The Federal earmarking requirement related to youth work experience program expenditures was not met. Criteria: Not less than 20 % of Youth Activity funds allocated to the local area, except for the local area expenditures for administration, must be used to provide paid and unpaid work experiences (Section 129(c)(4)), WIOA, 128 Stat. 1510). Cause: Youth enrollment and participation in the program was low. Effect: The 20% minimum of WIOA youth funds were not expended for the specified grant purpose. Context: The WIOA youth activities youth work experience expenditures were 17% of the allocated funds to JTEC at June 30, 2024. Questioned Costs: None Recommendation: We recommend that management develop a plan to entice the youth workers to join the program so that they can meet the program compliance requirement. Management Response: Management agrees with the finding. See management’s attached corrective action plan.

Corrective Action Plan

JTEC is aware of the requirement and did all it could to be compliant. The lack of enrollment is something that was out of JTEC’s control. JTEC runs one of the many MassHire career centers in the state that struggled meeting this Federal requirement. In addition, JTEC communicated the issue to MDCS. JTEC has established a separate youth and testing center, designed to cater to the specific needs and preferences of youth participants. In addition to keeping in regular contact with school guidance departments and student support staff, JTEC’s youth counselor continues to connect with juvenile court and probation officers, and works with the department of transitional assistance young parent program staff to encourage referrals to JTEC’s youth programs. JTEC is running an aggressive schedule of digital marketing campaigns that target youth in our service delivery area. JTEC has contracted with various vendors for content and distribution of these campaigns. JTEC has also increased its youth work experience wage, and has revised its support services and incentives policy to make incentives for youth participation more appealing. Increasing awareness of the out of school youth services available, ensuring that the youth program design and implementation match the needs of youth in our area, and maintaining strong relationships in our referral networks is JTEC’s strategy to increase out of school youth enrollments and youth work experience participation.

Categories

Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1089932 2024-001
    Significant Deficiency Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
17.258 Wioa Adult Program $813,635
17.278 Wioa Dislocated Worker Formula Grants $767,645
17.259 Wioa Youth Activities $758,388
17.207 Employment Service/wagner-Peyser Funded Activities $188,914
17.225 Unemployment Insurance $128,118
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $49,939
17.801 Jobs for Veterans State Grants $13,889
10.561 State Administrative Matching Grants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program $7,422