§ 32–245. Evaluation of the summer youth employment program.

(a) By December 1, 2019, and every year thereafter, the Mayor shall hire an independent contractor to evaluate the next year's summer youth employment program. The contractor shall conduct the evaluation according to nationally accepted standards. The evaluation criteria shall include a pre-program and post-program survey of participating youth and employers. The contractor shall interview local youth workforce development stakeholders, experts, and providers when preparing the evaluation.

(b) The evaluation shall include an assessment of the following:

(1) Client satisfaction from participating youth and employers;

(2) Job responsibilities of participating youth;

(3) Support mechanisms for participating youth and employers;

(4) Sense of progress as it relates to job readiness and specific work skills gained for participating youth;

(5) An estimation of the percentage of youth participating in each of the various types of activities provided through the summer youth employment program (for example, work experience, academic, and youth enrichment);

(6) An assessment of the steps taken to address shortcomings identified in previous program evaluations and an analysis of the effectiveness of these corrective measures;

(7) The various types of soft skills training programs offered, including pre-program bootcamps, online modules, contracted services, and in-program instruction, to determine which models were most successful at imparting soft skills; and

(8) The causes of participant attrition, including the impact of the program's registration and documentation requirements on attrition.

(c) By December 30, 2020, and every year thereafter, the contractor shall present the results of the evaluation conducted pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to the Council and the Department of Employment Services. The department shall place the evaluation on its website.