That the City Council approve a Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act payment of $45,810 to the Nurses Development Center, Inc., as part of the READY S.E.T. OC Grant Program.

The Community Services Department Employment and Training division operates the countywide READY S.E.T. OC Program. This program is funded by the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) administered through the County of Orange. The year-round program offers eligible at-risk young adults, ages 14 to 24, the opportunity to develop career interests, to receive academic support, and to gain valuable work experience in order to achieve their career/educational goals and become self-sufficient adults.

The WIOA Program requires that training services be provided to eligible individuals. In Orange County, an eligible training program is based on the State of California Eligible Training Provider List and I-Training using Individual Training Accounts (ITAs). The intent of the program is to maximize informed customer choice in the selection of qualified training providers. Once an eligible training selection is made, the Contractor is expected to arrange for payment of services through an ITA.  Service Providers are allocated ITAs through budgeted line items within the contract.

As part of this program, eighteen (18) Out of School Youth have been enrolled in the Nursing Assistant Program at the Nurses Development Center, Inc., in Cypress. In support of this enrollment, staff is requesting approval of a program allocation of $45,810 to cover tuition, books, uniforms, and equipment for the participating students.

There are eighteen (18) youth participants enrolled in the ITA Nursing Program and the tuition is $2,545 per student. The $45,810 allocation request for this WIOA program is funded through a grant reimbursement from the County of Orange.  No City General Funds are used to support this program.