EMPLOYMENT TRAINING ADMINISTRATION

USDL: 99 - 155

CONTACT: Gerry Gibbs
PHONE: (202) 693-4668

CONTACT: Peter Hamm
PHONE: (202) 219-6871

FOR RELEASE: Immediate
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1999

PRESIDENT CLINTON, SECRETARY HERMAN ANNOUNCE GRANT COMPETITION:
$250 MILLION TO HELP COMMUNITIES INCREASE YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES

President Bill Clinton and Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman today announced a grant competition to select scores of new sites for the Labor Department's Youth Opportunity grants. The grants will support projects that will substantially increase the employment rate of out-of-school youth living in selected high-poverty neighborhoods. This quarter-billion-dollar investment was authorized by Congress last year as part of the Workforce Investment Act.

"Millions of our young people face the risk of being left behind in a rapidly changing economic world. We must help them build brighter futures," President Clinton said. "Through our Youth Opportunity grants, we're dramatically upgrading the skills of young people all over America, from Oakland to Baltimore to rural Kentucky. With this additional investment, we can turn around thousands of additional young lives."

"These community-based initiatives recognize the significance of work by giving young people the tools to find and keep jobs," Herman said. "State and local leaders will work with employers and other members of the community to boost employment rates in poor areas so that we can fundamentally change the quality of life in these neighborhoods."

The Department has set up five conferences for interested communities to learn more about opportunities to participate. Technical assistance conferences will be held in Washington, D.C., June 15; Chicago, June 16; Denver, June 23 for Native American grantees; Los Angeles, June 24; and Atlanta, June 29. Interested parties should call 703-299-1680 for details.

These grants emphasize placing youth in private-sector jobs, and include complementary efforts to keep youth in school, increase their enrollment in college, and provide work experience in community-service projects. This competition will award grants of up to $12 million each to new recipients. The grant announcement was published in the Federal Register and the competition closes Sept. 30.

Secretary Herman has put a special focus on America's out-of-school youth. As the nation enters the 21st century, almost 15 million young people between the ages of 16 and 24 are not enrolled in school. About 90 percent don't have a college degree, and 70 percent have a high school degree or less. Despite the strong economy, a majority of out of school youth in high poverty areas don't have a job.

Many of these youth live where jobs have dried up. They face a new world economy without the skills to get ahead. And the evidence is clear that extremely low employment rates in high poverty neighborhoods lead to crime, drug problems and gang activity.

For several years, the Department has funded Youth Opportunity demonstration projects in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City and Clinton and Wayne Counties in rural Kentucky. The results have been strong, with thousands of youth given valuable job skills and landing good jobs. Just last month, Secretary Herman announced a second round of grants, to Baltimore, Denver, San Diego, Oakland, Calif., and Detroit. And several weeks ago, Secretary Herman announced grants for 14 projects to assist youth offenders in Philadelphia; Richmond, Calif.; Seattle; Houston; Denver; Cleveland, Logansport and Indianapolis, Ind.; west and central Florida; Rockford, Ill.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Pensacola, Fla.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Minneapolis; and Paterson, N.J.

The solicitation for the Youth Opportunity grant applications are available on the Internet at: www.doleta.gov.

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News releases from the U.S. Department of Labor are accessible on the Internet at: http://www.dol.gov.