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Programs

WIOA Youth
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) youth program delivers comprehensive services that focus on assisting out-of-school and in-school youth, with one or more barriers to employment and provides support and guidance needed to navigate the education and workforce systems.

The program prepares them for employment and postsecondary education opportunities; helps them attain educational and/or skills training credentials, and secure employment with career/promotional opportunities.   

Services include work-based learning experiences; apprenticeships; paid internships; on-the-job training opportunities, secondary and postsecondary education and occupational training, and sustainable employment along a career pathway.

Eligible youth must be between the ages of 14-24; able to work in the United States; be registered with Selective Service or have a valid exemption; provide a valid Social Security number, and meet the following criteria:

An out-of-school youth is an individual who is:
  • Not attending any school (as defined under New Hampshire law);
  • (Not younger than age 16 or older than age 24 at time of enrollment; and
One or more of the following:
  • A school dropout.
  • A youth within the age of compulsory school attendance but has not attended school for at least the most recent complete school year calendar quarter.
  • A recipient of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent; qualifies as low-income, and is either basic skills deficient, or learning the English language.
  • An offender.
  • A homeless individual, a homeless child or youth, or a runaway.
  • An individual in foster care or who has aged out of the foster care system or who is 16 years of age and left foster care for kinship guardianship or adoption; a child eligible for assistance under sec. 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677), or in an out-of-home placement.
  • An individual who is pregnant or parenting.
  • An individual with a disability.
  • A low-income individual who requires additional assistance to enter or complete an educational program or to secure or hold employment.
An in-school-youth is an individual who is:
  • Attending school (as defined by New Hampshire law), including secondary and postsecondary school.
  • Not younger than age 14 or (unless an individual with a disability who is attending school under State law) older than age 21 at time of enrollment.
  • A low-income individual; and
One or more of the following
  • Basic skills deficient;
  • Learning English language.
  • An offender.
  • A homeless individual, a homeless child or youth, or a runaway.
  • An individual in foster care or who has aged out of the foster care system or who is 16 years of age and left foster care for kinship guardianship or adoption; a child eligible for assistance under sec. 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677), or in an out-of-home placement.
  • An individual who is pregnant or parenting.
  • An individual with a disability.
  • An individual requiring additional assistance to complete an educational program or to secure employment.
To schedule a meeting with a WIOA Employment counselor, call your local NH Works office Monday–Friday between 8 am and 4:30 pm. WIOA services are available statewide in all 12 NH Works offices.

For assistance regarding the Youth Program, contact Melissa Salmon at the Office of Workforce Opportunity.
 
WIOA Adult
The WIOA Adult Program assist individuals in finding sustainable jobs in in-demand industries. Availability of this service is based on eligible funding and priority of services.

Those eligible must be 18 or older; able to work in the United States; be registered with Selective Service or have a valid exemption and provide a valid Social Security number. 

Priority of service for WIOA Adult funds is given to recipients of public assistance and other low-income individuals, and individuals who are basic skills deficient. Veterans receive priority of service in all DOL-funded employment programs. Career and training services are also available to individuals who have barriers to employment.

WIOA is designed to increase participant access to training services. Training services are provided to equip individuals to enter the workforce and retain employment. WIOA employment counselor specialists may provide the following services at no cost:
  • Occupational skills training through a catalogue of over 800 classroom-based trainings that can lead to an industry recognized credential.
  • On-the-Job training to create the opportunity to be hired by an employer that will enable them to learn on the job.
  • Support services for additional assistance such as transportation reimbursement; childcare reimbursement; uniforms; tools, and other emergency services may be available to help eliminate or lessen barriers that prevent participation in a full-time training program.
  • Vocational assessments to identify skills, interests, abilities and potential barriers to employment.
  • Job-Market Outlook on the local labor market and in-demand occupations within New Hampshire.
  • Career Path and Employment Plan Development to help guide that process.
  • Educational services and skills advancement in areas such as ESOL, HiSet preparation, basic reading, math, and computer literacy.
  • Job search and readiness activities including development of interviewing skills and resume writing.
To schedule a meeting with a WIOA Employment counselor, call your local NH Works office Monday–Friday between 8 am and 4:30 pm. WIOA services are available statewide in all 12 NH Works offices.

For assistance regarding the Adult Worker program, contact trainingopportunities@snhs.org at Southern New Hampshire Services.
 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Dislocated Worker
The WIOA Dislocated Worker program helps employees who have lost their jobs, through no fault of their own, to return to work. This program is administered through our partners at the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Dislocated Worker program provides services that increase employment, retention, earnings, and occupational skill attainment of participants.

The program is designed to help workers return to employment as soon as possible and overcome barriers to employment by providing career and training services including:
  • Program information and basic assessment, general information, individual job development, advanced job club, advanced screened referrals, group activities, job search.
  • Individualized career services.
  • Comprehensive specialized assessment, individual employment planning, counseling, short-term pre-vocational skills, case management, literacy, internship and work experience.
Training Services include occupational skills training; on the job training; workplace training with related instruction; registered apprenticeship (incorporating both OJT and classroom training); pre-apprenticeship training; skill upgrading and retraining; entrepreneurial training; adult education, and literacy training provided in combination with any other training services.

To be eligible, an individual must be:
  • Over age 18.
  • A New Hampshire resident.
  • A US citizen or be eligible to work in the US.
  • Registered with the Selective Service.
  • Been terminated or laid off, and eligible to receive or have exhausted unemployment compensation.
  • Unlikely to return to previous industry or occupation.
 
To schedule a meeting with a WIOA Employment counselor, call your local NH Works office Monday–Friday between 8 am and 4:30 pm. WIOA services are available statewide in all 12 NH Works offices.

For assistance regarding the Dislocated Worker Program, contact Nick Masi at the Department of Employment Security.
 
Sector Partnership Initiative
The NH Sector Partnership Initiative (NH SPI) a collaborative, industry-led program that provides funding and training expertise among other resources enabling companies to collaborate on workforce development needs in growing sectors that include:
  • Construction
  • Healthcare
  • Hospitality
  • Manufacturing
  • Technology
The mission of the sector partnerships is to develop new pipelines and employment and training opportunities that will assist both employers in need of a skilled and trained workforce, and job seekers aspiring to career pathways.

Elements of each sector include extensive research; development of sector champions and public/private partners; asset mapping of each sector, and ongoing sector meetings to design and implement sector initiatives.

Rapid Response
NH Works’ Rapid Response program assists workers affected by a layoff or business closure, providing statewide, early intervention re-employment services at no cost to businesses and to their employees.  

Rapid Response teams detail the programs and opportunities available to dislocated workers, including unemployment insurance, job retraining, health and human service programs and vocational rehabilitation assistance and counseling.

For more information about the NH Works Rapid Response program, contact Jimmie Hinson, workforce development administrator, 603-271-0337.