Employment and Training Services for Youth

Resources to assist at-risk youth with employment preparation to improve their vocational success and self-sufficiency, including State and local examples.

The Academy: A Program for Older Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care (PDF - 560 KB)
Vera Institute of Justice (2010)
Describes programs such as individually tailored service plans for education, training, and employment; social and recreational opportunities; and open eligibility and participation policies.

Foster Youth Demonstration Project: Final Evaluation Report (PDF - 860 KB)
Institute for Educational Leadership (2008)
Presents an overview of five demonstration projects funded by the Employment and Training Administration to improve transition outcomes for foster care youth.

It's My Life: Postsecondary Education and Training: A Guide for Transition Services from Casey Family Programs (PDF - 1007 KB)
Casey Family Programs (2006)
Gives child welfare professionals information and tools they need to help youth prepare for and complete postsecondary education or training successfully.

The Key to Successful Independence: State-Funded Post-Secondary Educational Assistance for Emancipated Foster Youth
Benedetto
St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary, 23(2), 2008
Examines State funding of postsecondary educational and vocational training programs available to youth after they emancipate from foster care.

Supporting Foster Youth to Achieve Employment and Economic Self-Sufficiency (PDF - 93 KB)
National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (2005)
Highlights unique characteristics of young people who leave, or age out of, the foster care system each year and offers strategies for helping youth achieve independence through an enhanced level of coordination among the education, workforce, post-secondary and child welfare systems. Based on Guideposts of Success.

Transitioning: Foster Care to Adulthood
Butt & Bacon
Fostering Families Today, 9(6), 2010
View Abstract
Explains the intent of the Foster Care Independence Act and the Educational and Training Voucher Program as well as strategies for helping youth transition.

What Works for Older Youth During the Transition to Adulthood: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Intervention (PDF - 282 KB)
Child Trends Factsheet (2010)
Examines the roles that programs designed to serve older youth can play in promoting positive development and subsequent self-sufficiency in adulthood.

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State and local examples

Cunningham Children's Home Supported Education and Employment for Older Youth in Care (PDF - 956 KB)
Children and Family Research Center (2007)
Reviews survey results and analyzes the current vocational programming for children and youth. Implications and considerations are discussed.

Employment Needs of Foster Youth in Illinois: Findings from the Midwest Study
Dworsky & Havlicek (2010)
Reviews how young people in Illinois describe their current and prior participation in the labor force, including work-related training or services they receive, and identifies the employment-related services and supports as among the types of assistance that States should use their Chafee funding to provide through the Foster Care Independence Act.

An Employment Training and Job Placement Program for Foster Youth Making the Transition to Adulthood in Cook County, Illinois (PDF - 1100 KB)
Dworsky & Havlicek (2010)
Reviews the results of a study that used administrative data to understand the need for employment services and supports among youth in foster care and describes how one community-based employment training and job placement program in Chicago is working to address those needs.

Experiences of Foster Youth in an Employment Training and Job Placement Program (PDF - 435 KB)
Dworsky & Havlicek (2010)
Evaluates the implementation of an employment training and job placement program for Cook County, Illinois, foster youth.

Get Summer Employment and Training (GetSET): Final Evaluation Report
Casey Family Programs (2009)
Describes the Yakima Field Get Summer Employment and Training Program (GetSET) for youth in out-of-home care in the Yakima Valley and southeastern Washington State. Youth expressed overwhelming satisfaction with the program and are able to identify ways the program enhances their readiness to succeed in the workplace.

Great! You Got the Job! Now What?!? (PDF - 233 KB)
Adoption Resources of Wisconsin (2009)
Explains how youth can succeed at work and discusses strategies for understanding workplace culture, adapting to 40-hour weeks, asking questions, being punctual, dressing for success, telling your story, asking to help out, dealing with problems at work, and taking advantage of workplace training. Designed for Wisconsin foster youth transitioning to adulthood.

HEY Statistics: Foster Youth Employment in SF Bay Area: Best Practices for Serving Former Foster Youth in Employment Programs (PDF - 420 KB)
Honoring Emancipated Youth (2010)
Highlights successful programs that provide education and training to help foster youth find and retain employment in the Bay Area.

Lighting the Way: Preparing Foster Youth for Self-Sufficiency
Mecum
ABA Child Law Practice, 26 (3), 2007
View Abstract
Highlights how Cincinnati's Lighthouse Youth Services helps older foster youth avoid homelessness and successfully transition into adulthood.

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