About the Report

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The purpose of the report is to explore implementation of Youth CareerConnect (YCC) about two years after funding began. This report draws information from five sources: (1) a grantee survey describing YCC as it was implemented in one of its schools, (2) grantees’ quarterly progress report narratives, (3) visits to 10 grantees, (4) YCC’s Participant Tracking System, and (5) a survey of parents and students in YCC in 8 of the grantees visited.

Research Questions

• What types of students does YCC serve?
• What program components are being implemented?
• What distinguishes YCC from other programs?
• What challenges do grantees face in implementing YCC, and how do they overcome those challenges?
• How do grantees plan to sustain the program beyond the grant period?

Key Takeaways

• The research suggests that grantees implemented activities and services in each of the three main program components: preparing students for both college and career, connecting students to career-track employment, and offering academic and nonacademic supports.
• Grantees actively integrated partners, especially employers, into YCC and used work-based learning activities, small learning communities, and students’ Individual Development Plans to distinguish YCC from other programs.
• Some grantees faced challenges in launching the more intensive work-based learning activities—particularly mentoring and internships—that require considerable advanced planning and coordination with employers and other partners. Because such activities are often offered in the later high school years, future research will be able to assess if they become more readily available as a greater number of YCC students become eligible for them.

Research Gaps

• Some grantees faced challenges in launching the more intensive work-based learning activities—particularly mentoring and internships—that require considerable advanced planning and coordination with employers and other partners. Because such activities are often offered in the later high school years, future research will be able to assess if they become more readily available as a greater number of YCC students become eligible for them. (page v)

Citation

Maxwell, N. L., Leshnick, S., Whitesell, E., Henderson-Frakes, J., Bellotti, J., Berman, D. (2017). Mathematica. Youth CareerConnect: Early Implementation Findings. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

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The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.