Transcript Document
INTRODUCTION TO THE NATIONAL YOUTH CAREERCONNECT PROGRAM AND THE LOCAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY YOUTH CAREERCONNECT PROGRAM In April 2014, 24 Youth CareerConnect Grants were awarded nationwide, totaling $107 million. Locations were spread across the country both geographically and varied by urban, suburban and rural areas. The largest amount given was $7 million to be spent over 4 years. Prince George’s County Maryland received one of the $7million grants. The grantee in Prince George’s County is the Economic Development Corporation. This program is designed to create career pathways for high school students who are involved in rigorous academic studies which allow them access to employers and information about the work place they might not ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE otherwise be able to access. Youth CareerConnect Program Purpose, Partners, and Objectives Purpose The Youth CareerConnect Program (YCCP) is a national initiative to reform the way students in America are prepared for careers in a high tech economy. The White House and the Departments of Labor and Education are working together to promote a new vision for how the country prepares its high school students for careers and higher education. The new vision includes: • New approaches to teaching and learning • Integrating rigorous educational standards with work experiences and skills • Connecting learning directly to the real world • Focus on high demand industries. ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE Youth CareerConnect Program Purpose, Partners, and Objectives Partners This vision for the future requires strong partnerships between: • Secondary and postsecondary institutions of education • Workforce development systems • Employers* • Other stakeholders Chambers of Commerce Public and private educationally oriented organizations Community based organizations Federal, state and local government agencies. ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE Youth CareerConnect Program Purpose, Partners, and Objectives Objectives Prepare the nation’s future workforce in high demand industries that require courses in science and technology Avoid major shortages in the near future in critical occupational categories in light of the increasing retirement of the baby boom generation increase the talent pool of workers in America that are ready, able and willing to work, and to fill jobs in high demand occupations Avoid dependence on importing workers from outside the US with H-1Bvisas to provide the labor skills needed in the US ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE The Prince George’s County Youth CareerConnect Program (PGC-YCCP) Local Partners Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation Prince George’s County Public Schools ASHLIN Urban Institute Prince George’s Community College Bowie State University Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection Latin American Youth Center Lockheed Martin ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE Career academy structure and pathways High School Career Academy Pathway (Course of Study) Bladensburg High School Health and Biosciences Health Professions Biomedical Science Fairmont Heights High School Information Technology IT Software Programming IT Systems Engineering Potomac High School Information Technology IT Cyber Security ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE How the PGC-YCCP Works Program Steps Ninth Graders are recruited into a chosen Healthcare/IT Academy. Community based partners provide mentoring, counseling, advisement and workforce preparation. Each student develops an Individualized Development Plan (IDP) with assistance of Community Based Organization Job Coach. Students/Parent(s) choose a career path leading to a post high school job or apprenticeship or college education. Students experience work-based training through internships, career forums, job shadowing, mentoring and other employer partner based activities. Beginning in grade 11 students can enroll in a local community college and receive both college and high school credit at no cost. Students complete industry specific (Healthcare or IT) certified training in high school or prepare to finish two or four year degree with work experience and are hired by Employer Partner who is familiar with their skill base and work ethic. ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE Employer Engagement Overview Obtain Information about YCC and current trends in career technical education Commit to the CareerConnect Program Determine program participation Employment – Internships, Externships, Hiring Career Exploration – Mentoring, Job Shadowing, Career Forums Connecting Activities – Being an Advisory Board Member, Partnering with other local organizations, Sponsoring Events Review and Sign Memorandum of Agreement Identify company liaison/point of contact 8 ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE Employer Return on Investment When Committing to the PGC-YCCP Attracting new customers: Most Americans will switch from one brand to another, assuming that price and quality are approximately the same, if the other brand is associated with a cause. And for new and old customers alike, more than half have indicated that corporate citizenship has some level on their purchasing decisions. Premium pricing: Both consumers and business decision-makers are seven time more likely to pay a premium price for products and services to a company with a strong social reputation versus one with a poor reputation. Brand Strength: Multiple studies show that consumers hold higher regard for companies and brands that demonstrate a commitment to working on social issues. Positive word of mouth: Nearly three-quarters of Americans say that a company’s commitment to a social issue is a factor when deciding whether to recommend a company to others. Influencing the influencers: Evidence indicates that a company’s commitment to a social issue influences the opinion of experts (including financial analysts, academics, and industry leaders) and reporting by the media (Pawlowski & Katz, Employer Engagement Toolkit, 2014, National Center for College and Career Transitions) 9 ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE Frequently Asked Questions Question: How many internships is my company expected to provide and how much is it going to cost? Answer: Employer leadership determines how many internships a company makes available based on the needs and resources of that company. YCC desires that each student has the best possible summer work experience. Students working summer jobs expect to receive the minimum wage of $8.25 per hour for 4-6 weeks. One student would cost the employer approximately $330 per week. Question: Some of these students might live a long way from our worksite. How will they be expected to arrive on time and get back home? Answer: PGC-YCCP has partners in place to provide transportation for students through various means, including reviewing with each student intern the route and means to work, providing Metro fare cards, making vans available for sites that may be difficult to reach. Question: Some of these students look and act young and immature. How are they supported during the time they are at work? Answer: From the time students enter into their career academy, PGC-YCCP will be working with each one to prepare them for the world of work. If a problem does arise, however, every student will have a designated Job Coach who is available to be contacted and who will be able to come directly to the job site and counsel/coach the student. 10 ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE Frequently Asked Questions Question: Our job entails high level thinking and solid computer skills. How useful will these high school students be to our work? Answer: Students who are ready for summer work have taken courses in software design and systems engineering and some of them will have A+ credentials in some areas. More importantly, all students will have had practice with design thinking models and have the ability to use these models to solve work-based problems. Question: What if I can’t support internships? Is there another way for me to contribute? Answer: There are a variety of ways for employers to contribute to PGC-YCC including: providing mentoring and job shadowing; serving on Advisory Councils, providing job forums in schools, sponsoring faculty externships and many more. Question: I have a small company and we could not support more than one or two students per year because we just don’t have that much time to work with students. Are you still interested in us? Answer: Small business is a key driver of the American economy and we want students to have a broad range of businesses from which to learn. We are not concerned about the size of the business, but about the quality of the experience that each student has. ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE NEXT STEPS TO BECOMING A PARTNER Contact Norman L. Jones Manager Employer Engagement ASHLIN Urban Institute [email protected] 301-345-8357x109 THANK YOU! 12 ASHLIN URBAN INSTITUTE