Serve, Learn, Earn outlines workforce pipeline, requests $2.5 million in base funding

Kate Gluckman, director of Serve, Learn, Earn, told the Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development on Jan. 14 that the coalition of four nonprofits trains young people for jobs and pays participants stipends while they learn. "We feel like [the Agency of Natural Resources, Forests, Parks & Recreation] have been tremendous partners," Gluckman said, explaining why that agency administers the state funds that support the program.

The coalition — made up of Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC), Resource, Audubon Vermont and Vermont Works for Women, with a recent addition of NorthWoods Stewardship Center — describes its model as “serve, learn, earn”: service-based projects that offer skills training and stipends. The group said it has enrolled nearly 1,500 participants across three completed program years and expects roughly 600 participants in the current year, about 70% of whom will be under age 24.

Why it matters: committee members on Commerce & Economic Development oversee workforce planning and budget recommendations. Coalition leaders told the committee that their work targets young people who complete high school but do not matriculate to college and that many participants face barriers such as poverty or justice involvement. The coalition requested the same base appropriation placed in the Forests, Parks & Recreation budget the prior year — $2.5 million — and described how public dollars are routed into direct participant wages and stipends.

Serve, Learn, Earn officials described programming in three broad categories: career exploration for high school students (for example, LIFT/Launch Inclusive Futures in the Trades and Audubon junior conservation tech); early professional experiences and paid summer work (VYCC conservation and sustainable agriculture crews and YouthBuild sites); and workforce training leading to industry credentials (short intensive courses called "101s," NCCER construction credentials, EPA 608 certification for heat pump work, OSHA 10, and other certificates). Gluckman said coalition partners co‑enroll AmeriCorps members through Serve Vermont; those members receive the federal Segal Education Award after completing service terms.

Funding, data and duplication with federal workforce dollars were central questions from legislators. Coalition staff said most Serve, Learn, Earn programs do not receive Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds because many participants fail WIOA eligibility rules (residency length, parental income thresholds for minors, or other income rules) and because onboarding can require repeated in-person visits to job centers. Clarifying numbers provided to the committee included:

- Public appropriations the coalition listed for recent years: about $1.8M, $1.8M, $2.3M, and $2.0M in the current year (figures presented by staff); - Coalition estimate that $3,250,000 across the last three years was paid directly to participants in wages and stipends; - The coalition’s total program budget (private, federal and public funds combined) of roughly $10,000,000 annually (as stated by staff); - WIOA funding to the coalition: YouthBuild received about $30,000 this year within an approximately $900,000 program; other coalition programs reported little or no WIOA support.

On outcomes, staff reported that of roughly 600 people served in the prior year, 170 identified wanting a job immediately after the program; 105 received job offers and 93 accepted offers while still in the program. Staff cautioned that longer‑term placement and wage tracking are limited by data gaps; they said they are pursuing a data‑share arrangement with the Vermont Department of Labor to link participant lists to wage records for more accurate longitudinal outcomes.

Committee members pressed about stipend levels and program stacking. Gluckman gave examples: short youth exploration programs provide payments such as $250 for a one‑week experience; other programs pay hourly (Resource’s programs, she said, typically around $15/hour); VYCC pays weekly stipends that increase with crew role and skill level (new crew members in the low‑$300s per week, advanced crew leaders in the $700–$800 range). Staff said they will provide a program‑level stipend breakdown to the committee by follow up email.

Serve, Learn, Earn leaders said they are pursuing additional federal opportunities, including a regional Workforce Opportunity grant in partnership with Northern Border Regional Commission and were continuing private philanthropy and foundation funding (they named a multi‑year Ascendium grant to support data work). Gluckman said the coalition had asked the governor to include their $2.5 million request in the administration’s proposed budget.

The committee did not take formal action during the hearing; members indicated interest in the budget request and in follow‑up data on placements, stipends and credential stacking.

Staff contact and next steps: coalition leaders offered to return with additional program staff and detailed budget and outcomes materials when the committee considers the administration’s budget.