The following resources provide information to assist at-risk youth with employment preparation to improve their vocational success and self-sufficiency, including State and local examples.
College, Career, & Life Skills Training and Support for Foster Youth
Foster Coalition
Provides a listing of organizations and programs foster youth can turn to for support and to learn self-sufficiency. The services offer education, trainings, and more to help prepare youth for living independently.
Companies and Organizations That Hire Current and Former Foster Youth
Foster Coalition
Lists companies and organizations across the country and by State that hire former and current foster youth.
Education, Employment, and the Military
Youth.gov
Offers information and statistics on education, employment, and military service for youth. Below the introduction, the website offers a listing of resources with places youth can go to look for jobs and engage in career planning.
GetMyFuture
U.S. Department of Labor, CareerOneStop
Presents a website for youth interested in finding a career, gaining work experiences, preparing a resume, getting training, starting a company, applying for college, and more.
Have You Been in the Foster-Care System?
U.S. Department of Labor, CareerOneStop, GetMyFuture
Offers information and links for foster youth transitioning out of care who want to find housing, finish school, or start job training or college.
Job Corps Works for At-Risk Youth
National Job Corps Association
Describes how job corps provides at risk youth, including those aging out of foster care, with the skills they need to enter the workforce.
Joining the Military: A Guide to Assist Youth in Foster Care and Their Caregivers in Navigating the Military Enlistment Process (PDF - 566 KB)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau (2015)
Answers common questions youth in foster care or their caregivers may have about foster care and the military. The guide answers questions relating to requirements such as age, education, physical and mental health, military life, housing, and more.
Registered Apprenticeship Program
U.S. Department of Labor
Provides structured, on-the-job training for youth entering the workforce in industries such as construction, manufacturing, health care, information technology, energy, telecommunications, and more.
WIOA Youth Formula Program
U.S. Department of Labor
Provides information on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014, which launched an employment program for youth ages 14 to 24 who face challenges obtaining education or employment. The site describes programs that provide youth services and links to several resources for guidance on the WIOA.
YouthBuild
Works to empower underprivileged youth to find employment training and help them break the cycle of poverty they face in their families or communities. YouthBuild helps youth learn construction skills by building affordable housing for homeless or low-income people in their neighborhoods and by building community projects such as schools, playgrounds, and community centers.
State and local examples
Foster Youth Employment Services
Pride Industries
Offers employment services to foster youth including coaching, mentoring, training, internships, and job placement.
Georgia C.R.E.W (Cultivating the Rising Experienced Worker)
Serves youth in Georgia and aims to increase the amount of trained and experienced youth workers and help youth achieve self-sufficiency. The program offers skill building, employment training, and employment networking connections.
How a Special Curriculum Focuses on the Unique Needs of Foster Youth Entering the Workforce
Tellez-Sanchez (2019)
The Imprint
Explores a program in Los Angeles that helps foster youth start out in the workforce by teaching them skills including how to write a resume and how to prepare for job interviews.
Kitchens for Good
Offers culinary job training to vulnerable youth and adults, including those who have been incarcerated, are homeless, or are in the foster care system in California.
Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program
DC Department of Employment Services
Outlines a summer youth employment program that provides youth in Washington, DC ages 14 to 24 with summer work experiences in the private and government sectors. Youth have the opportunity to learn life skills, workplace skills, interact and network with career professionals, and earn money.
Money Smart and Job Savvy
Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (2020)
Describes services offered to youth in foster care in Illinois, including job training and apprenticeship programs.
Passport to Careers
Assists former foster youth and other vulnerable youth in preparing for college or apprenticeship programs in Washington State.
The RightWay Foundation
Serves youth transitioning out of foster care by connecting them with employment and other resources while providing trauma-informed care. Programs work on job preparation, job hunting, therapy, financial literacy, healthy relationships, and more.
Supported Training and Employment Program (STEP) for Emancipated Foster Youth
Outlines a program for former foster youth that focuses on job readiness, skills training, employment coaching, transition planning, and more in San Mateo County, California.
Workforce Readiness
National Foster Youth Institute
Helps foster youth and young adults in Los Angeles who were raised in foster care to learn life skills and complete job training to prepare them for adulthood.