Video Series Covers Generation Work and “Now Jobs” for Young People

Since 2015, the Annie E. Casey Foun­da­tion has fund­ed five city-based part­ner­ships — in Cleve­land, Hart­ford, Indi­anapo­lis, Philadel­phia and Seat­tle — to change the way pub­lic and pri­vate sys­tems pre­pare youth and young adults for employ­ment suc­cess. Called Gen­er­a­tion Work™, this mul­ti­year effort ulti­mate­ly aims to help more young peo­ple gain the knowl­edge and expe­ri­ence need­ed to secure jobs that pay fam­i­ly-sus­tain­ing wages.

One strat­e­gy the part­ner­ships use are ​“now jobs.” These employ­ment oppor­tu­ni­ties — which range from short- and long-term intern­ships to sub­si­dized job place­ments — are an inter­im step on the con­tin­u­um of work­force devel­op­ment ser­vices that pre­pare young adults for long-term career oppor­tu­ni­ties while also help­ing them meet their imme­di­ate income needs.

In a new video series, Casey’s Alli­son Ger­ber dis­cuss­es how Gen­er­a­tion Work part­ner­ships are using ​“now jobs” to sup­port young peo­ple as they devel­op the skills and cre­den­tials need­ed to land high­er-pay­ing posi­tions. She is joined by two guests — Rani­ta Jain of The Aspen Institute’s Eco­nom­ic Oppor­tu­ni­ties Pro­gram and Tay­lor Hop­kins of Good­will Indus­tries of Cen­tral and South­ern Indi­ana — who share how this approach is work­ing for employ­ers, young peo­ple and work­force practitioners.

What is a ​“now job”?

“Now jobs” are part of a con­tin­u­um of work­force ser­vices to help young peo­ple gain the skills and cre­den­tials need­ed for long-term employ­ment success.

How do ​“now jobs” pre­pare young peo­ple for long-term careers?

“Now jobs” allow young peo­ple to explore their strengths, tal­ents and inter­ests and learn about work­place norms.

How do ​“now jobs” help meet local busi­ness demands?

“Now jobs” not only ben­e­fit young peo­ple, but also employ­ers who need skilled work­ers to fill positions.

How can pol­i­cy­mak­ers and fun­ders sup­port young people’s career success?

To help young peo­ple suc­ceed in today’s econ­o­my, pol­i­cy­mak­ers and fun­ders should allo­cate more resources to com­pre­hen­sive work­force train­ing pro­grams and focus on longer-term edu­ca­tion and career gains in addi­tion to short-term job placements.

What’s the role of pos­i­tive youth devel­op­ment in a ​“now job”?

Pos­i­tive rela­tion­ships, open com­mu­ni­ca­tion, mutu­al respect and con­sis­tent sup­port are key to help­ing young peo­ple reach their edu­ca­tion­al and employ­ment goals.

Learn more about Gen­er­a­tion Work