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ERIC Number: ED594004
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jan
Pages: 25
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Opportunity Works: Four Ways to Help Young Adults Find Pathways to Success
Steinberg, Adria; Almeida, Cheryl
Jobs for the Future
Opportunity Works is a national initiative to dramatically improve the life trajectories of low-income young people ages 16 to 24 who are not in school or working. This population, often called "opportunity youth," comprises a significant segment of America's potential workforce. Yet they are also the young men and women who face the greatest barriers to entering and advancing in the labor market. Launched in 2015, Opportunity Works has demonstrated how to make a difference in the lives of young people who find themselves without a clear path forward. Opportunity Works served more than 2,000 teens and young adults. Their successes include: (1) More than 800 individuals earned a high school credential; (2) Nearly 1,000 participants enrolled in postsecondary education or training; and (3) Almost half of all participants were young men of color. These initial results are particularly powerful for a population that has had limited access to effective programs in the past. In this report, the authors highlight lessons learned from the initiative, which was based on Jobs for the Future's (JFF) "Back on Track" model to reconnect opportunity youth and guided by JFF coaching to local anchor organizations and service providers. The authors also describe the complex nature of what it takes to reach these positive results and the many interlocking pieces that are part of the solution. [This report was produced by the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions. Additional funding was provided by the Andrus Family Fund and the Ballmer Group.]
Jobs for the Future. 88 Broad Street 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02110. Tel: 617-728-4446; Fax: 617-728-4857; e-mail: info@jff.org; Web site: http://www.jff.org
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Secondary Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Social Innovation Fund (SIF); Bank of America Charitable Foundation; Ford Foundation; James Irvine Foundation; Marguerite Casey Foundation; Prudential Foundation
Authoring Institution: Jobs for the Future; Aspen Institute
Identifiers - Location: Massachusetts (Boston); Connecticut (Hartford); Pennsylvania (Philadelphia); Louisiana (New Orleans); Washington (Seattle); California (San Jose); California (San Francisco)
Grant or Contract Numbers: 14SIHMA001