(Added by Ordinance No. 184716, effective August 5, 2011.)
A. A Youth Employment Credit, known as the Youth Career Readiness Credit, is available for tax years 2011 and 2012 as a pilot program with the goal to increase the number of students who graduate from high school “career-ready” by expanding the number of meaningful career-related learning experiences between the private sector and schools.
B. For purposes of the Youth Career Readiness Credit:
1. “Career-Readiness” involves three major skill areas: core academic skills and the ability to apply those skills to concrete situations in order to function in the workplace and in routine daily activities; employability skills (such as critical thinking and responsibility) that are essential in any career area; and technical, job-specific skills related to a specific career pathway. These skills have been emphasized across numerous pieces of research and allow students to enter true career pathways that offer family-sustaining wages and opportunities for advancement.
2. “Career-Related Learning Experiences” (CRLEs) are structured student activities in the community, the workplace or in the school that connect academic content and career-related learning to real life applications. These experiences extend, reinforce and support classroom learning and also help students to clarify career goals and usually take form as “Career Awareness Activities”, “Career Exploration Activities” and “Career Preparation Activities”.
3. “Career Awareness Activities” include workplace tours and field trips, career and job fairs and guest speakers.
4. “Career Exploration Activities” include job shadowing, informational and mock interviews, career mentoring and enterprise and community-based projects.
5. “Career Preparation Activities” include work experience, internships and apprenticeships.
6. “CRLE Certifying Agency” means the partner agency that has entered into an agreement or other memorandum of understanding with the City to act as the certifying agency for CRLE programs and will issue the credit certificate to each qualifying business program.
C. For each tax year, 75 non-refundable $500 credits are available on a first-come, first-served basis, to Local Businesses that provide substantial career-readiness activities to high school students. An individual business can claim credits for each separate career readiness activity, up to a maximum of four (4) credits. However, no more than two (2) credits can be claimed for Career Awareness Activities.
D. To qualify for the credit, a business must:
1. Provide a Career Awareness, Career Exploration or Career Preparation activities program with direct costs of more than $2,500 or in-kind value of more than $5,000.
2. The CRLE program being provided by the business must be certified by the CRLE Certifying Agency.
3. Complete the certified program as agreed to obtain the credit certificate from the CRLE Certifying Agency.