YouthBuild construction credentials

CLASSIFICATION
   EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION                  YouthBuild
               ADVISORY SYSTEM                             CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL
                                                           OWI-DYS
          U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
                                                           DATE
             Washington, D.C. 20210                        July 21, 2017


ADVISORY:          TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. 35-12,
                   Change 1

TO:                STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES
                   STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS
                   STATE WORKFORCE ADMINISTRATORS
                   STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS
                   ALL YOUTHBUILD GRANTEES

FROM:              BYRON ZUIDEMA /s/
                   Deputy Assistant Secretary

SUBJECT:           Clarification on Definition and Guidance of Allowable Construction
                   Credentials for YouthBuild Programs

1. Purpose. To provide further clarification of the Employment and Training Administration’s
(ETA) definition of the term credential for national YouthBuild program grantees as well as
additional guidance on commonly used construction credentials for YouthBuild participants.

2. References.
    • Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (PL 113-128 July 2014),
       https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-113publ128/pdf/PLAW-113publ128.pdf
    • Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 10-16, “Performance
       Accountability Guidance for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I,
       Title II, Title III and Title IV Core Programs,”
       https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=8226
    • National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Web site:
       https://www.nccer.org/
    • Home Builders Institute’s Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (HBI-PACT) Web
       site: http://www.hbi.org/Programs/PreApprenticeship/HBIPACT
    • North America’s Building Trades Unions' Building Trades Multi-Craft Core Curriculum
       (MC3) Web site: https://nabtu.org/multi-craft-core-curriculum/
    • Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) Web site: http://www.bpi.org/home_pros.aspx

3. Background. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) reflects a continued
emphasis on job training and the attainment of industry-recognized credentials. Credential
attainment can assist youth and adults in leveraging new skills to build lasting careers, enhance
talent pipelines, and help to ensure employment security as they compete in today’s labor
market. The attainment of a degree or credential is also one of the YouthBuild program’s
required WIOA performance indicators. The purpose of this guidance is to provide updated

 RESCISSIONS                                               EXPIRATION DATE
 None                                                      Continuing


information on the credential measure under WIOA and to provide a clarification to one of the
three commonly used construction credentials described in TEGL 35-12, as well as to include a
fourth commonly used construction credential, all of which meet the WIOA definition and are
appropriate for reporting in the YouthBuild Web-based Management Information System (MIS).

4. Credential Definition. Within this guidance, the term credential includes certificates,
degrees, certifications, and licenses. As defined in TEGL 10-16, credentials are categorized as
either postsecondary credentials or secondary school diplomas. Because there are so many
different types of credentials, it is not the Department’s practice to determine whether specific
credentials count under the degree/certificate attainment rate. The information below provides a
general explanation of the categories of credentials as described in WIOA and further defined in
TEGL 10-16.

Secondary School Diploma
Per TEGL 10-16, “a secondary school diploma (or alternate diploma) (commonly referred to as
high school diploma) is one that is recognized by a State and that is included for accountability
purposes under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by
the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). A secondary school equivalency certification signifies
that a student has completed the requirements for a high school education. The types of
recognized equivalents, for those not covered under ESEA, that would satisfy the credential
attainment performance indicator are those recognized by a State.”

Postsecondary Credentials
Per TEGL 10-16, a recognized postsecondary credential “means a credential consisting of an
industry-recognized certificate or certification, a certificate of completion of an apprenticeship, a
license recognized by the State involved or Federal Government, or an associate or baccalaureate
degree.” A postsecondary credential is recognition of an individual’s attainment of measurable
technical or occupational skills necessary to obtain employment or advance within an
occupation. Generally, these technical or occupational skills are based on standards developed
or endorsed by employers.

Determination of Credential Completion and Qualification
Credit hours are building blocks for educational and training credentials. A document certifying
the successful completion of a prescribed program of study (such as a diploma) or the attainment
of satisfactory scores for a program of study (such as a high school equivalency exam or
industry-recognized certification) constitutes a credential. Individual credit hours – building
blocks – within a program of study do not constitute a credential. The completion of one course
taken at a postsecondary educational institution does not constitute a credential. The compilation
of coursework (an organized program of study) leading to the attainment of an Associate’s
degree does constitute a credential. All coursework young adults take toward obtaining a
diploma or high school equivalency degree, for additional postsecondary education, or training
modules passed as part of a curriculum for certification are beneficial to the youth and enhance
the potential to be self-supporting; however, only those accredited certifications obtained after
satisfactory completion of an organized program of study meet the definition of a credential.

A variety of different public and private entities issue credentials, including:
      • A State educational agency or a State agency responsible for administering vocational
           and technical education within a State;


       •   An institution of higher education described in Section 102 of the Higher Education
           Act (20 USC 1002) that is qualified to participate in the student financial assistance
           programs authorized by title IV of that Act;
       •   An institution of higher education that is formally controlled, or has been formally
           sanctioned or chartered, by the governing body of an Indian tribe or tribes;
       •   A professional, industry, or employer organization (e.g., National Institute for
           Automotive Service Excellence certification, National Institute for Metalworking
           Skills, Inc., Machining Level I credential) or product manufacturer or developer (e.g.,
           recognized Microsoft Information Technology certificates, such as Microsoft
           Certified IT Professional (MCITP), Certified Novell Engineer, a Sun Certified Java
           Programmer, etc.) using a valid and reliable assessment of an individual’s knowledge,
           skills and abilities;
       •   ETA’s Office of Apprenticeship or a State Apprenticeship Agency;
       •   A public regulatory agency, which awards a credential upon an individual’s
           fulfillment of educational, work experience, or skill requirements that are legally
           necessary for an individual to use an occupational or professional title or to practice
           an occupation or profession (e.g., Federal Aviation Administration aviation mechanic
           license, or a State-licensed asbestos inspector);
       •   A program that has been approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer
           education benefits to veterans and other eligible persons; and
       •   Job Corps, which issues certificates for completing career training programs that are
           based on industry skills standards and certification requirements.

Additional information on what constitutes a credential within each of these categories can be
found in TEGL 10-16.

5. Construction Credentials within YouthBuild Programs. While there are additional
credentials that qualify under the criteria described in TEGL 10-16, there are four construction
credentials that are nationally recognized as meeting the criteria for qualifying credentials under
the degree/certificate attainment rate measure and are commonly used by YouthBuild programs.
These consist of:

   •   National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) credential;
   •   Home Builders Institute’s Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (HBI-PACT)
       credential;
   •   North America’s Building Trades Unions’ Building Trades Multi-Craft Core Curriculum
       (MC3) credential; and
   •   Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) credential.

Importantly, both the NCCER and HBI-PACT curricula consist of multiple modules that are
stackable and, once successfully completed, lead to certification. In NCCER, participants must
complete eight of the nine core curriculum modules in order to attain certification. With HBI-
PACT, participants must complete some core modules and are then allowed to select areas of
specialization upon which to build, with competencies tracked through Skill Achievement
Records. It is only once all required modules are completed within each of these curricula that
the industry-recognized certification for each curriculum is awarded. MC3 and BPI do not
utilize modules but rather consist of one curriculum which must be successfully completed in its
entirety for certification.


Instruction in individual modules can be very beneficial to participants and assists with project-
based learning and general skill building; however, certification that leads to career pathways is
specific to successful completion of the full curricula and attainment of the credential.
YouthBuild grantees must not enter individual modules into the MIS as a demonstration of
industry-recognized certification, as individual modules are not certifications. You can find
additional information on each of these certificate training programs on the Web sites for each
program, cited under the References section of this TEGL.

6. Additional Credentials. Some YouthBuild programs offer additional programs of study that
may lead to the attainment of an industry-recognized credential, such as computer classes leading
to certification in Microsoft Office or coursework leading to licensure as a Certified Nursing
Assistant. YouthBuild programs should again refer to TEGL 10-16 for guidance on the
qualifying credentials within these additional industries. However, DOL does not consider
certificates awarded in recognition of the attainment of generic pre-employment or work-
readiness skills (i.e., resume writing, interviewing, dressing for success) as qualifying credentials
under TEGL 10-16. Certificates offered for perfect attendance or for completing leadership
development courses, as well as any activities connected to community service hours, do not
qualify as industry-recognized credentials under TEGL 10-16. Additionally, certifications that
may be required for employment but do not, in and of themselves, demonstrate employment-
specific skills (i.e., Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), OSHA-10, HAZMAT certifications,
Lead Abatement certifications, Asbestos Removal certifications, and Confined Space
certifications) also do not qualify as credentials, because they do not meet the threshold of being
able to document “measurable technical or occupational skills necessary to gain employment or
advance within an occupation.” While these are all beneficial building block skills for youth to
achieve, they should not be reported as credentials within the YouthBuild MIS. YouthBuild
programs should ensure that all certificates or degrees entered into the YouthBuild MIS meet the
definition of qualifying credentials. The Department of Labor reserves the right to conduct
reviews of the credentials submitted into the web-based case management system for credential
attainment outcomes and to request removal of non-qualifying credentials, in order to ensure the
accuracy of performance indicator reporting.

7. Identifying Credentials
The Department of Labor’s Career Info Net supports several resources that provide information
on credentials. Specifically, this web site includes a searchable Licensed Occupations database
at
http://www.careerinfonet.org/licensedoccupations/lois_keyword.asp?nodeid=16&by=keyword.
This site provides information on the licensing agency, as well as examination requirements and
any applicable fees. Additionally, there is also a Certification Finder tool to identify industry or
occupational personnel certifications at
http://www.careerinfonet.org/certifications_new/default.aspx. This resource provides a
description of the certification, as well as examination and work requirements.

8. Inquiries. Please address questions on this TEGL to the appropriate regional office.