to develop and implement new, or expand existing, sum-
mer youth employment programs in a State or local area, 
for the purpose of improving academic, economic, and 
criminal justice outcomes for participants, including— 
(1) high school graduation rates; 
(2) enrollment rates in postsecondary education; 
(3) employment and wage rates; and 
(4) arrest, conviction, and incarceration rates. 
(b) GRANT PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding grants to 
eligible entities under this section, the Secretary of Labor, 
in coordination with the Advisory Board, shall prioritize 
eligible entities that, based upon the applications sub-
mitted under subsection (c)— 
(1) have higher youth unemployment rates and 
violent crime rates in the local areas to be served; 
(2) will offer higher quality and more rigorous 
the summer youth employment programs (which 
shall include a consideration of whether the program 
has been evaluated and, if so, the impact of the pro-
gram on the youth outcomes listed under subsection 
(a)); and 
(3) will serve a higher number of youth histori-
cally underserved by summer youth employment pro-
grams, including youth in rural and suburban local 
areas. 
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(c) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible to 
receive a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall 
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may determine to be necessary, which shall include 
information that demonstrates that the eligible entity will 
use such grant to develop and implement, or expand, a 
summer youth employment program that includes each of 
the elements listed in subsection (d). 
(d) REQUIRED ELEMENTS FOR SUMMER YOUTH EM-
PLOYMENT PROGRAMS.—A summer youth employment 
program funded under this section shall include each of 
the following elements: 
(1) Provides youth participants under the age 
of 25 with subsidized employment for at least 4 
weeks during the summer. 
(2) Pays at least the greater of the applicable 
Federal, State, or local minimum wage. 
(3) Provides community engagement and out-
reach to ensure equitable access to the program in 
terms of awareness, application process, and comple-
tion of the hiring process, including documentation 
of eligibility. 
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(4) Matches each youth participant with an em-
ployer based on the needs of the employer and the 
skills and interests of the youth participant. 
(5) Provides coaching and mentoring services 
for each youth participant to support the partici-
pant’s completion of the summer employment pro-
gram. 
(6) Provides assistance to each youth partici-
pant in obtaining educational and employment op-
portunities after the completion of the program, 
such as by connecting participants with secondary 
school programs, postsecondary education opportuni-
ties, apprenticeships, career and technical education, 
or adult job training programs, if applicable. 
(7) Provides training, coaching, and mentoring 
services, and technical assistance to participating 
employers to best help such employers structure the 
job opportunities of the employers to meet the em-
ployer’s needs and the support the success of youth 
participants. 
(8) Provides program supports to youth partici-
pants before, during, and after their program (such 
as digital literacy training, work-readiness opportu-
nities, financial literacy training, specific job train-
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ing for their summer job placement, and career 
counseling services). 
SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION OF INNOVATIVE PROGRAM AC-
TIVITIES. 
(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—From the amounts ap-
propriated under section 2(b)(2) for this section, the Sec-
retary of Labor shall provide grants, on a competitive 
basis, to eligible entities that operate summer youth em-
ployment programs that include each of the program ele-
ments listed in section 3(d) to integrate innovative ap-
proaches in carrying out such programs for the purposes 
of improving the youth outcomes listed under section 3(a). 
(b) GRANT PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding grants to 
eligible entities under this section, the Secretary of Labor, 
in coordination with the Advisory Board, shall prioritize 
eligible entities that, based upon the applications sub-
mitted under subsection (c)— 
(1) have higher youth unemployment rates and 
violent crime rates in the local areas to be served; 
(2) will offer a higher quality and more rigorous 
summer youth employment program (which shall in-
clude a consideration of whether the program has 
been evaluated and, if so, the impact of the program 
on the youth outcomes listed in section 3(a)); 
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(3) will offer a higher quality and more rigorous 
innovative approach for such program (which shall 
include a consideration of whether that innovative 
approach has been evaluated and, if so, the impact 
of the innovative approach on the youth outcomes 
listed under section 3(a)); and 
(4) will serve a higher number of youth histori-
cally underserved by summer youth employment pro-
grams, including youth in rural and suburban local 
areas. 
(c) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible for 
a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit 
to the Secretary an application at such time, and in such 
manner as may be required by the Secretary, which in-
cludes a description of the plan to integrate one or more 
of the innovative approaches listed in subsection (d) into 
the summer youth employment program operated by the 
eligible entity. 
(d) INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO SUMMER YOUTH 
EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS.—An eligible entity that oper-
ates a summer youth employment program that includes 
the required program elements listed in section 3(d) shall 
use funds received under this section to integrate into such 
program one or more of the following innovative ap-
proaches: 
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(1) Individualized mentoring and coaching for 
youth participants, under which each youth partici-
pant— 
(A) before and after the participant starts 
the program and regularly during the program, 
meets one-on-one with a dedicated mentor; 
(B) develops a comprehensive success plan 
with the mentor, including academic and em-
ployment goals and the steps needed to achieve 
such goals; 
(C) receives other support from the men-
tor, which shall include— 
(i) coaching to overcome barriers that 
could impact progress in completing the 
employment received under the summer 
youth employment program; 
(ii) providing letters of recommenda-
tion; and 
(iii) making referrals to educational 
and social services, where necessary. 
(2) High-quality job training, career counseling, 
or educational tutoring programs to be delivered in 
small group settings before the program, on evenings 
and weekends during the program, and after the 
program, with the goal of preparing youth partici-
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pants for future employment, which shall include as-
sisting youth participants— 
(A) with developing resumes and inter-
viewing skills, and financial literacy; and 
(B) in completing a regular high school di-
ploma or its recognized equivalent and literacy 
classes, if applicable. 
(3) Social-emotional learning for youth partici-
pants, including proven interventions to help develop 
empathy, self-efficacy, positive decision-making, and 
communication skills. 
(4) Wrap-around financial assistance services, 
including for food, shelter, and transportation. 
(5) Mental health supports for youth partici-
pants, as applicable. 
(6) Substance abuse and addiction treatment 
supports for youth participants, as applicable. 
(7) The continuation of certain program ele-
ments (particularly the individualized mentoring, 
mental health and behavioral supports, and career 
counseling), in coordination with their school dis-
tricts, for a period of time after the employment por-
tion of the program ends to help participants con-
tinue their engagement with the education and em-
ployment system, with financial assistance available 
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to youth who continue to participate in these pro-
gram elements after their summer employment has 
ended. 
(8) The provision of one or more of the pro-
gram elements listed in section 3(d) virtually to de-
velop digital literacy and remote work skills that are 
a part of many professional settings. 
(9) The provision of Learn and Earn opportuni-
ties, in which participants take postsecondary or 
training courses during nonsummer months coupled 
with work experience in related fields during the 
summer. 
(10) The expansion of private sector opportuni-
ties with employers in in-demand occupations or in-
dustry sectors (as defined in section 3 of the Work-
force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3102)), such as information technology, health care, 
life sciences, and vocational careers. 
(11) The development of skill-based digital 
badges issued by cities that are recognized by high 
schools, community colleges, and employers. 
(12) The laddering of job opportunities from 
one summer to the next to enable participants to 
build skills over multiple summers by progressing 
from entry-level to more senior positions that further 
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develop soft skills (such as leadership skills) or hard 
skills (such as technical skills). 
(13) A program element identified by the Advi-
sory Board under section 6(i)(3). 
(14) A new innovative program element that is 
not identified by the Advisory Board under section 
6(i)(3) and is not listed in this subsection, which 
is— 
(A) proposed by the eligible entity in the 
application submitted under subsection (b); 
(B) determined by the Secretary, in con-
sultation with the Advisory Board, as being rea-
sonably expected to demonstrate evidence, in 
the case of an element in which such evidence 
does not exist, in carrying out the purposes de-
scribed in subsection (a). 
SEC. 5. EVALUATION ACTIVITIES. 
(a) PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT ASSESSMENTS.— 
Beginning not later than 1 year after receiving such grant 
and for each succeeding year of the grant period, each eli-
gible entity receiving a grant under section 3 or 4, in con-
sultation with the Advisory Board established under sec-
tion 6, shall develop and implement a performance meas-
urement assessment of such program to assess whether 
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the program is being implemented in a way that meets 
the requirements of section 3 or 4, respectively. 
(b) IMPACT EVALUATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appro-
priated under section 2(b)(3), the Secretary of 
Labor shall, in consultation with the Advisory Board 
established under section 6, award a contract to one 
or more independent research organizations or non-
profit organizations to carry out evaluations to 
measure the impact of each summer youth employ-
ment program that is being supported by a grant 
awarded under section 3 or 4. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS OF EVALUATIONS.—An im-
pact evaluation of a program that is being supported 
by a grant awarded under section 3 or 4 shall meet 
the following requirements: 
(A) The evaluation begins not later than 3 
years after the program first receives such sup-
port. 
(B) The evaluation shall meet each of the 
following: 
(i) Impact evaluation design and anal-
ysis methods are shared with the Advisory 
Board before the beginning of the evalua-
tion. 
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(ii) The evaluation uses administrative 
data to assess the impact of the program 
as a whole on participants for 1 year, 3 
years, and 5 years after the completion of 
the program on each of the following: 
(I) High school graduation rates. 
(II) Enrollment rates in postsec-
ondary education. 
(III) 
Employment 
and 
wage 
rates. 
(IV) Crime rates (such as arrest, 
arraignment, or incarceration rates). 
(iii) The evaluation uses survey data 
collected during the program to assess pro-
gram impacts on short-term changes in 
soft skills (such as such as interpersonal, 
communication, and time management 
skills), academic and career goals, and job 
readiness. 
(iv) The evaluation uses randomized 
experimental designs, when feasible, or 
other research methods that allow for the 
strongest possible causal inferences when 
random assignment is not feasible. 
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