Youth & Young Adult Policy Update 03-06-2026

News at NYEC:  

• Join NYEC in Houston, TX for Rooted in Action: 2026 Annual Forum! The National Youth Employment Coalition will head to Houston, TX from March 30 – April 1. Attend sessions from our policy track such as Activating Employers in the Policy Arena on behalf of a National Youth Employment Strategy presented by Kevin Hickey, NYEC Board Chair and Chief Program Officer of New Door Ventures, and Joseph Le, Chief of Staff in the Office of Worker Empowerment and Workforce Development for the City of Boston.  

• Connections That Count: Opportunity Navigation and Social Capital in Action – This session reframes social capital as the missing ingredient in workforce success, helping young people build, measure, and maintain the connections that drive economic mobility and social wellbeing. Join us on Thursday, March 19, from 2:30PM – 3:30PM ET to learn why in a world racing toward automation, authentic interaction is not outdated. It is the competitive advantage. 

Legislative Branch:   

• House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Strengthening Employer-Led Training in the Age of AI: The Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, chaired by Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), held a hearing examining artificial intelligence, titled “Building an AI-Ready America: Strengthening Employer-Led Training.” Committee members and witnesses stated that there need to be modernizations to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to meet the needs of workers and employers in the age of AI. The full hearing can be viewed here.   

Executive Branch: 

• U.S. Department of Education Issues Proposed Rules to Implement Workforce Pell Grants: The U.S. Department of Education today issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to establish the new Workforce Pell Grant program. Workforce Pell will enable students to use Federal grant funds to enroll in high-quality, short-term programs that offer education in high-skill, high-wage or in-demand industry sectors or occupations. Comments are due April 8, 2026. 

Federal Funding Opportunities with upcoming deadlines: 

• OJJDP Grant: FY25 Second Chance Act Youth Reentry Program: This funding opportunity will provide funding to support states, units of local government, and federally recognized Native American Tribal governments in partnership with interested persons (including federal corrections and supervision agencies), service providers, and community-based organizations to provide (1) comprehensive reentry services for moderate- to high-risk youth before, during, and after release from confinement, and (2) support transitional services to assist youth to successfully reenter the community. Applications are due March 30, 2026. 

• DOL Grant: Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program (PfP IPP): The Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program will focus on incentivizing the expansion and growth of the National Apprenticeship System, specifically in industries with a firmly established program infrastructure that will make a significant contribution to the Administration’s goal of exceeding 1 million active apprentices. Applications are estimated to be due April 3, 2026. 

• DOL Grant: The Reentry Employment in Skilled Trades, Advanced Manufacturing, Registered Apprenticeships, and Training (RESTART) Initiative: RESTART supports the advancement of workforce readiness skills and the attainment of employment for ex-offenders across three populations: youth (ages 15-17 years old), young adults (ages 18-24 years old), and adults (ages 25 years old and above). Funds will be awarded to eligible entities to develop programs to train ex-offenders for high-need American jobs and assist them in being productive contributors to the U.S. economy. Applications are due April 15, 2026. 

• DOL Grant: Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants (Round 6): Round 6 of the Strengthening Community Colleges (SCC or SCC6) grants will fund community colleges, with a singular focus on building program and system capacity for implementing and scaling access to short-term training opportunities through Workforce Pell Grants—i.e., promoting industry-driven strategies, worker mobility, and integration with the larger state workforce system (e.g., Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners) for statewide impact. Applications are due May 20, 2026. 

From the States: 

• Nevada: Drone-related jobs are growing rapidly across the Mountain West as industries adopt new aerial technologies. In Nevada, a specialized training gym called Launchpad is helping prepare young workers for careers in the expanding drone economy. 

• New Jersey: High school students are getting an inside look at engineering careers through the “Introduce a Teen to Engineering Day” program. The initiative connects youth with engineers and practical learning experiences that spark interest in technical fields. 

• Indiana: Gov. Mike Braun recently signed legislation eliminating the Youth Employment System from state law, a database where businesses self-reported the number of minor employees on payroll and their employment status. 

Resources: 

• Supporting Mobility Beyond Benefits Cliffs: Beyond the Cliff presents a policy agenda aimed at fixing benefits cliffs that discourage work and upward mobility for low-income families. The report highlights policy changes that would allow individuals to increase earnings while maintaining access to critical supports during the transition. 
• Ready to Work Adds Childcare Support: San Antonio is strengthening its Ready to Work initiative by adding childcare support for participants. City leaders say the expansion addresses a major barrier that often prevents people from finishing job training programs.