(Washington, DC) - The District of Columbia placed first in the national rankings for three important Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Performance Measures.  The US Department of Labor published the national rankings for Program Year 2006 (which calculates data from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007) on April 4, 2008.  The District won top honors in the Youth Common Measures Placement Rate category, the Youth Common Measures Certificate Attainment Rate category, and the Youth Common Measures Literacy/Numeracy Gain Rate category.  The national rankings include all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the District.

The District’s WIA youth programs are administered by the Department of Employment Services (DOES).  DOES Director Summer Spencer said, “We are extremely proud of this achievement.  The staff and managers in the Office of Youth Programs worked tirelessly to design and implement the innovative programming that led to this result.  We must also thank our partners and stakeholders, and most importantly, the young people of the District, who are most directly responsible for this success.”

The Youth Common Measures Placement Rate measures the percentage of WIA youth participants who are placed in employment, post-secondary education, advanced occupational skills training, or enter military service.   The Youth Common Measures Certificate Attainment Rate measures the percentage of WIA youth participants who earn a diploma, GED, or bona-fide occupational skills certificate.  The Youth Common Measures Literacy/Numeracy Gain Rate measures the percentage of WIA youth participants who advance at least one educational level in a year of participation.