S. 299 — Mentoring to Succeed Act of 2025

This section establishes a youth mentoring grant program under subtitle D of title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA, 29 U.S.C. 3221 et seq.) by inserting new section 172 after current section 171 (and redesignating former section 172 as section 173). The Secretary of Labor must award competitive grants to eligible entities—community-based organizations or covered partnerships (i.e., with industry/sector partnerships, local educational agencies, public entities, or private employers)—to establish, expand, or support mentoring programs for eligible youth, defined to include in-school youth, out-of-school youth (per WIOA section 129), and certain at-risk secondary school students (e.g., those failing academically, chronically absent, gang-affiliated, with incarcerated parents, or who have experienced adverse childhood events). Mentoring entails structured, managed one-on-one, group, or peer relationships with screened adult or peer volunteers, lasting at least one year, to promote educational and workforce success, social-emotional skills, and risk reduction; grants also support related youth workforce readiness programming (e.g., job training, career exploration, apprenticeships). "Covered institution of higher education" means an institution of higher education, as defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), or a postsecondary vocational institution (20 U.S.C. 1002(c)).

This section directs the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Chief Evaluation Officer of the Department of Labor, to conduct a study to (1) identify successful mentoring programs and evidence-based strategies for administering and monitoring such programs; (2) evaluate the role of mentors in promoting cognitive development and social-emotional learning to enhance academic achievement and improve workforce readiness; and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of the grant program under section 172 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)—as added by section 2—on student academic outcomes and youth career development. The Secretary must submit the study results to the appropriate congressional committees not later than 3 years after the date of enactment.