Finding positive job opportunities for teens and young adults can be difficult under the best of circumstances. For many youth coming from the foster care system, the odds can be overwhelming. Giving these kids a helping hand is what the Casey School-to-Career Partnerships is all about.
The initiative links “aged out” foster care youth to over 100 quality employers such as UPS, Home Depot, and Marriott. The program provides:
- Employment connections
- Case management for each youth employee
- Continuing education opportunities for all participants
- Life skills training, such as financial management and employer expectations
The program attracts in-kind as well as dollar matching funds from community-based organizations and public agency partners. With this support, in 2006 the program connected over 200 youth to first-time job opportunities and recorded an 87 percent retention rate. Forty percent of those employed received full or partial benefits on top of wages.
Supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, these partnerships continue to grow as resources from corporations, local organizations and public agency partners allow for more program expansion.
Learn more
- To see all School-to-Career partnership sites, visit Casey Places.