Consortium to provide curriculum and training for summer youth employment program
In collaboration with Partner4Work, The Consortium will be offering both curriculum and staff training to agencies that provide summer employment for youth as part of the Learn & Earn program.
In past years, as part of a federally-funded initiative that the state administers through contracts with regional workforce development organizations like Partner4Work, local employment providers have created summer jobs to support youth in gaining experience.
Anticipating that workplace constraints related to COVID-19 this year might limit what youth can do within these agencies, Partner4Work has enlisted the Consortium to offer staff training in Project-Based Learning (PBL) and supply a curriculum for teaching work-readiness skills.
“As part of the PBL training, we’ll work with agencies to develop two or three projects that summer employees could do remotely, if need be,” said the Consortium’s Director of Organizational Advancement Jackie Foor. “PBL lends itself to remote engagement because it’s aimed at getting participants to take on assignments with minimal supervision. The level of independence that PBL promotes is intended to help them develop creativity and problem-solving ability.”
Although some agencies have curriculum for working with youth employees, many are looking for a curriculum that they could offer virtually and that youth could complete remotely, Foor added. The Consortium will provide curriculum aimed at helping the young people develop important workplace skills such as communications, collaboration and others that often aren’t formally taught.
