by Connor Courtien, RDPFS Intern:
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that their commitment to allocating $1.5 million to the Center for Advocating Policy on the Employment of Youth (CAPE-Youth) this year, with a total anticipated availability of $7.5 million for the Center over the next five years. The funding comes through the DOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), which also supported the founding of CAPE-Youth in 2019. According to their website, CAPE-Youth “seeks to improve employment outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities by helping states build capacity in their youth service delivery and workforce systems.” This aligns with the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts towards creating a more inclusive workforce. The available funding will “support research, engage with the workforce system and its partners, and identify effective policies and practices that support disabled youth employment.” Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn M. Williams explained that ‘“While the Office of Disability Employment has historically focused on the needs of disabled youth, rapid shifts brought on by the pandemic make education and employment especially critical today.”’ She added that ‘“This funding opportunity will help identify effective transition solutions for building an equitable workforce.”’ To get more information, you can read the full press release stating that the US Department of Labor Announces $1.5M Funding Availability To Support Policy Development to Expand Employment of Disabled Youth. Also be sure to check out CAPE-Youth’s website.
