Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth: Education, Training, and Skills Development

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Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth Education,
Training, and Skills Development

• Presentation to the
• Literacy Cooperative
• June 8, 2007
• Linda Harris, Director Youth Policy

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Emerging Trends

• Growing awareness of youth crises
• More communities, local leaders taking aggressive
  action
• Move toward comprehensive, systemic approaches
• Education-workforce-justice Connections
• Increased focus on alternative pathways to
  education and labor market credentials

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The Challenge Delivering thousands of at-risk
youth to labor market success
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Charter
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Child welfare
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literacy
GED
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Good jobs
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Secondary and Post sec credentials

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Contextual learning
Good wages
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Career exposure
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Leadership opportunities
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Work experience
Personal Development
Good benefits
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Skills training
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Alt Youth Program
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Advancement opportunities
Service Corp
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Justice System
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KEY COMPONENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE YOUTH STRATEGY
Community Leadership
System Collaboration
Direct Service Innovation
YOUTH
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COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

• Acknowledging the problem
• .Documenting the magnitude
• Establishing a collective vision
• Coming together around solutions
• ..Assembling Resources
• . ..Addressing the problems at scale
• .Benchmarking progress

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About the community strategic process

• There must be a convening entity
• Key sectors must participate requires buy-in of
  key decision makers
• Its about relationship building and trust
• All organizational paradigms must shift
• Concrete goals and interim benchmarks essential
• Celebration of individual and collective
  accomplishments

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SYSTEM COLLABORATION
Community Resources
Business Resources
YOUTH
Education
Justice
Foster Care
TANF
health
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Key Elements of Effective Practice
Comprehensive Caring Adult Support Well Developed
Education Component Rich Workplace
Connections Youth Involvement/ Civic
Engagement Connections to Business and Industry
Quality Management Data / Accountability Cross
System Coordination Articulation Agreements
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
PROGRAM DELIVERY
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EFFECTIVE PRACTICE

• CARING ADULTS
• WELL TRAINED PROFESSIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT STAFF
  - INVESTMENT
• HELP YOUTH NAVIGATE TO LONG TERM SUCCESS
• ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUTH OUTCOMES
• BRIDGES THE SYSTEMS
• PEER TO PEER NETWORKING VALUABLE

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EFFECTIVE PRACTICE
EDUCATION WORK READINESS CONTINUUM
Pre-GED
GED
Post-secondary
LITERACY
Dual Enrollment
Credit Recovery
Youth development leadership mentoring support
services
Career exposure
Service learning
Work Experience
internships
OJT
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EFFECTIVE PRACTICE

• Connections to Business and Industry
• Secure Business participation in the strategic
  design of program
• Secure business input to work skills
  credentialing system
• Sell business on their future workforce
• Build youths portfolio via hands on work
  exposure
• Customize to the specific entry level
  competencies for growing industries