Workforce Innovations: Feature: Education and Workforce Preparation

Feature

Guiding Our Youth: Education and Workforce Preparation

A quality education and relevant skill sets could arguably be the most valuable tools in our employment-readiness kit. In Silicon Valley, where technology is ever-present and ever-changing, competition in the local labor force is both global and fierce, and the cost of living is among the highest on the planet, the need for knowledge is that much greater.

Now more than ever, the prerequisites for livable and desirable wages are increasing. Unfortunately, most of the obstacles and challenges we have faced in our own employment pursuits are merely a fraction of those faced by today's youth. According to Jobs for the Future, "As recently as two decades ago, young people without education beyond high school could reasonably expect to get family-sustaining work in service or manufacturing operations; today they face lives of economic struggle, virtually shut out from jobs that would allow them to build assets and support children of their own." Communities in Schools reports that "in today's workplace, only 40 percent of adults who dropped out of high school are employed, compared to 60 percent who completed high school and 80 percent for those with a bachelor's degree." There is an unmistakable need for dropout prevention, higher levels of academic achievement and workforce readiness. Concern for our young people's opportunities for long-term self-reliance and success is growing on a broad scale.

Preschool and After-School for All

A recent study by the Rand Corporation found that the long-term benefits of universal preschool education in California "include near-term labor force benefits for California businesses in terms of labor force recruitment, participation rates, and workforce performance, as well as longer-term benefits for the state in terms of economic growth and competitiveness." For each group of four-year-olds who completes a year of preschool, "there would be 13,764 fewer children ever retained in a grade ... 62,563 fewer years spent in special education, 10,010 additional high school graduates, 4,737 fewer cases of abuse or neglect, and 7,329 fewer children against whom a juvenile petition would ever be filed."

The after-school hours for school-age children and youth are of increasing concern for policy makers, law enforcement officials, educators, youth development advocates, and parents alike. According to the Afterschool Alliance, "22 percent of California children in working families are unsupervised in the afternoons" and more than 14 million nationwide take care of themselves once the school day ends. Unsupervised, many young people are at risk for substance abuse, teen pregnancy and crime. Not only do after-school programs contribute to academic success, creative thinking, problem solving, self-direction, programming for special needs, English language learning and the use of technology, they provide children with a safe environment while their parents are working.

Members of the corporate community are advocating for after-school programs, because, according to Corporate Voices for Working Families, "they are crucial to the business community because they help develop the future workforce and because they support the needs of the current workforce." Research has found that parents of school-age children are more productive if they know their children are in safe and enriching environments after school. In 2004, Brandeis University found that "parents who have greater concerns about their children's after-school arrangements" report that they make significantly more "errors, turn down requests to work extra hours, and miss meetings and deadlines at work." This study determined that the cost of this stress may contribute to a decrease in productivity and an increase in employer costs.

Community Investment in Youth

Many organizations partner with schools or work independently to foster youth development in ways that strengthen students' interpersonal skills and prepare them for economic and workforce issues they'll face in their adult lives. While public and private schools often must adhere to K–12 curricula, sometimes leaving little room for extracurricular activities and community-based learning experiences, other programs work to supplement the benefits of formal learning. Junior Achievement, the National 4-H Council, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Forum for Youth Investment, and other organizations serve more than 15 million children and youth in the U.S. with their innovative programming that fosters work readiness through cooperation, teamwork, and learning in leadership, science, technology, arts, sports, agriculture, community service and volunteerism. Programs often inspire interest in career paths that young people might not have been exposed to in school.

Since 2001, NOVA has co-sponsored Groundhog Job Shadow Day with Junior Achievement of Silicon Valley & Monterey Bay. This event was established by Junior Achievement to enable middle and high school students to interact with workers at their places of business. NOVA Youth Employment Program Supervisor Russell Brunson shares the importance of the event: "Groundhog Job Shadow Day is beneficial on two levels: for kids, students can tie the importance of what they are learning in school to future careers; and Job Shadow hosts report that the event gives them an opportunity to reflect on the importance of the work they do, and to give back to the community in ways that will influence kids to choose careers in needed areas."

Stakeholders in young people's success and self-sufficiency are widespread, and reflect all sectors of the community. These groups are working together, demonstrating their commitment in remarkable ways to ensure that children and youth will have the education support and workforce preparation tools to become strong, contributing members of our economy and community. And like good leaders, our youth, in turn, will guide subsequent generations for continued growth and success.