Building Pathways to Adulthood

The IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth released Designing Statewide Career Development Strategies & Programs. The guide will help policymakers implement high-quality, comprehensive statewide career development programs to help all youth, including those with disabilities, become college and career ready. The first part of the guide is a primer to quality youth career development systems. The […]

Recently, the IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) released a new guide, Fostering Inclusive Volunteering and Service Learning. The guide seeks to help youth service professionals integrate youth with disabilities and other disconnected youth into service learning and volunteering opportunities and activities. This guide provides useful information on facilitating youth engagement

This summer, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) turned 25. The ADA impacted missions and fostered the ADA Generation, a group of young people with disabilities who came of age under the ADA’s aegis. The ADA generation experienced more equality and access to opportunity in education, the workforce, and the community than their predecessors. IEL

The D.C. Youth Workforce Leaders Academy (YWLA), co-led by IEL’s Center for Workforce Development, is a year-long learning community that provides professional development and training to youth service professionals in the Washington, DC area. YWLA launched in 2014 with a cadre of 15 members who participated in monthly in-person sessions, online discussions and webinars, and peer

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the contribution and impact of the ADA Generation, IEL is collecting stories from youth and young adults with disabilities who came of age under the ADA and their allies. IEL is particularly interested in stories related to transition to adulthood, including

The U.S. Department of Labor recently released guidance for states, local areas, and youth service providers for implementing the new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA is replacing the Workforce Investment Act as the policy backbone of our workforce system. One of WIOA’s most significant shifts for young people is a markedly increased focus

The IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) released its new report entitled Use of Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs): A Promising Practice for Driving College and Career Readiness Efforts – Findings and Recommendations from a Multi-Method, Multi-Study Effort. This report summarizes findings and recommendations of NCWD/Youth’s 5+ years of ILP research. The ILP

Michael Gritton is the executive director of the Louisville-based KentucianaWorks. Twelve years ago, Michael began his tenure as executive director of KentuckianaWorks. Notably, KentuckianaWorks was the nation’s first WIB to run a college access center. Its vision: promoting Louisville as the country’s next “economic hotspot,” home to a skilled and educated workforce. To date, KentuckianaWorks