Conditions that may make employment difficult for certain individuals. Individuals with such barriers may include: displaced homemakers, low-income individuals, Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, as such terms are defined in section 166, individuals with disabilities, including youth who are individuals with disabilities, older individuals, ex-offenders, homeless individuals, youth who are English language learners, individuals who have low levels of literacy, and individuals facing substantial cultural barriers, eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers, individuals within 2 years of exhausting lifetime eligibility under Part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act, single parents (including single pregnant women), long-term unemployed individuals, individuals who reside in a Qualified Census Tract or a Disproportionately Impacted Area; individuals who are Basic Skills Deficient, and such other groups as the Governor involved determines to have barriers to employment.
Basic career services are universally accessible and must be made available to all individuals seeking employment and training services in at least one comprehensive American Job Center per local area. Generally, these services involve less staff time and involvement and include services such as: eligibility determinations, initial skill assessments, labor exchange services, provision of information on programs and services, and program referrals. These services may be provided by both the Adult and Dislocated Worker programs, as well as by the Employment Service.
The term ‘‘basic skills deficient’’ means, with respect to an individual— (A) who is a youth, that the individual has English, reading, writing, or computing skills at or below the 8th grade level on a generally accepted standardized test; or (B) who is a youth or adult, that the individual is unable to compute or solve problems, or read, write, or speak English, at a level necessary to function on the job, in the individual’s family, or in society.