Increase workforce development opportunities for Transitional Aged Youth with moderate to severe Autism

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is interested in supporting job training programs for transitional-age youth and young adults with moderate to severe autism and has allocated $500,000 Measure K Funds a year for three years. Depending on the outcomes from the first three years, a fourth and fifth year of funding may be available. The expected contract award date is January/ February 2025.

There is a focus on Transitional Aged Youth in San Mateo County, as evident in the United for Youth’s Blueprint for School and Transitional Age Youth Well-Being Report published in 2024. Furthermore, there is an underlying acknowledgement that individuals with disabilities in this age group face additional barriers to participate in the community, and that job training is one pathway to enrich the lives of those with disabilities as well as their communities.

In San Mateo County, transitional aged youth – defined for the purposes of this RFP as 18–24-year-olds - with moderate to severe autism - might engage with job training opportunities via three routes:

1. Public high schools’ post secondary programs
2. Non-public schools
3. Day Programs

Any of these three entities is eligible to apply. The successful Proposal will be responsive to the unique job training needs of this population, outline how it will build relationships with employers, identify meaningful performance measures and corresponding goals, and seek to build cohesion and collaboration among other organizations to make navigating this space easier for clients and their care givers.