Project to Promote Youth Employment through Employer Partnerships in El Salvador and Honduras

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The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $13 million for one or more cooperative agreements to fund a technical assistance project(s) in El Salvador and Honduras with the goals of improving employment outcomes among at-risk youth and preventing their engagement in the worst forms of child labor. The project will target youth ages 14 to 17 that are susceptible to the worst forms of child labor, as well as youth ages 18 to 20 that are susceptible to hazardous and exploitative working conditions, primarily targeting youth that reside in communities with high levels of crime and violence. It will aim to provide quality, market-relevant skills training to these at-risk youth, in a safe and secure learning environment; provide follow-up services to help these youth secure and retain employment; foster sustained employer involvement in both the development of the market-relevant skills training and the job placement for at-risk youth; and strengthen capacity of the government and community groups to support relevant vocational training and employment opportunities for youth. ILAB’s Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT) will technically manage cooperative agreements awarded under this solicitation, and USDOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will administer the cooperative agreements. The duration of the project(s) funded by this announcement will be 4 years (48 months from the effective date of the award. The project start date is estimated to be September 1, 2015. ILAB leads USDOL’s efforts to ensure that workers around the world are treated fairly and are able to share in the benefits of the global economy. ILAB’s mission is to use available international channels to improve working conditions, protect workers’ ability to exercise their rights, raise living standards, and address the workplace exploitation of children and other vulnerable populations. OCFT conducts and funds research, develops strategic partnerships, and funds an international technical cooperation program to eliminate the worst forms of child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. ILAB is authorized to award and administer grants and cooperative agreements by the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Pub. Law 113-235.

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