84A.12  Summer youth intern pilot program.
  1.  A summer youth intern pilot program is established within the department of workforce development to provide youths who are at risk of not graduating from high school, who are from low-income households, who are from communities underrepresented in the Iowa workforce, or who otherwise face barriers to success and upward mobility in the labor market, with internship opportunities that allow these youths to explore and prepare for high-demand careers, to gain work experience, and to develop personal attributes necessary to succeed in the workplace.
  2.  Subject to an appropriation of funds by the general assembly for this purpose, the department of workforce development shall award grants for summer youth intern pilot projects on a competitive basis as provided in this section. The department shall work with employers, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions to place youth in internships primarily in high-demand career fields.
  3.  The department of workforce development shall annually issue a request for proposals to the public, specifying the expectations and requirements for summer youth intern pilot project grant qualification, including but not limited to the provision of facilities, programming, staffing, and outcomes.
  4.  The department of workforce development shall give full and fair consideration to each proposal submitted under subsection 3, and shall award grants after considering, at a minimum, the following:
  a.  The bidder’s history and experience in the community.
  b.  The capacity to serve a substantial number of youth.
  c.  The suitability of the available facilities.
  d.  The bidder’s contacts and partnerships in the community that can be leveraged to maximize opportunity for project participants.
  e.  The capacity to provide employability skills, including but not limited to training relating to soft skills, financial literacy, and career development.
2018 Acts, ch 1067, §10, 15
Referred to in §84A.1B