Abstract

The Youth CareerConnect (YCC) program provided high school student services that included rigorous college and career curricula, and considered a promising approach for addressing both youth unemployment and shortages in skilled workers in 2014. To address these challenges, ETA awarded 24 grants to implement the high-school based initiative that blends academic and career-focused learning to prepare students for both college and careers in high-demand industries with employers that rely on H-1B visas to fill job vacancies. YCC grantees included a broad array of organizations across 18 states and Puerto Rico, including local education agencies, local workforce entities, a higher education institution, and other non-profit organizations. As implemented, the YCC programs brought multiple partners together, such as high schools, school districts, higher education institutions, employers, workforce system agencies, and support service organizations to prepare students for college and careers in medium- to high-skilled industries and occupations.

This set of YCC evaluation reports examine the (1) evolution of YCC program implementation, and sustainability of YCC activities and services during the last two years of the grants; and (2) how schools engaged employers and workforce agencies partners supported work experiences, mentoring and career preparation during the four-year period. Both reports draw on data and information collected through the YCC participant tracking system; a survey of all 24 grantees conducted in 2015, and discussions with YCC program school, and partner staff for ten grantees held during site visits and telephone interviews. The first report describes student characteristics, key changes in the YCC over the evolution of implementation, and distinct strategies to sustain YCC activities and services. The second report suggests five practices that are key to developing and maintaining YCC employer and workforce agency partnerships.

Final Report

• Final-Report-Forthcoming.pdf

Interim Report

• Youth CareerConnect: Early Implementation Findings
• Youth CareerConnect: Evolution of Implementation over Time

Other Products

• Youth CareerConnect: Engaging Employers and Workforce Agency Partners