Saying nearly all of the Recovery Act money for summer youth employment programs has been spent, the U.S. Employment and Training Administration on Tuesday urged workforce agencies to tap into Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds to create subsidized jobs for youths this summer.

“While the WIA (Workforce Investment Act) summer youth employment funding under ARRA has been nearly expended, significant TANF Emergency Contingency funding remains and TANF agencies can choose to commit some of those funds to subsidized employment programs for low-income youth,” states a memo released by ETA Assistant Secretary Jane Oates.

 “In addition,” the memo states, “when appropriate, we strongly encourage co-enrollment of youth in the TANF and applicable WIA programs so that participants in the TANF-funded subsidized employment opportunities can benefit from additional WIA services such as supportive services, occupational skills training, and other relevant services.”