Providing Education and Training for At-Risk Youth

I.   TOPIC          Project HOPE

II.  LOCATION  Tacoma, Washington

III. SUBJECT        Providing Education and Training for At-Risk Youth

IV.  SUMMARY

     Youth ages 17 -21 were at risk of gang and drug involvement, were low-income, and
     were at risk of dropping out of school or had already dropped out. The Metropolitan
     Development Council (MDC), a Community Action Agency, formed community
     partnerships to develop a program to provide at-risk youth with educational opportunities,
     support services, and employment and training opportunities in hospital-based
     professions. The hypothesis of the project stated that high risk youth engaged in
     educational and on-the-job training programs are more likely to become self-sufficient
     than youths that do not have the same opportunities. The program had both process and
     outcome evaluation components. The process component assessed who the program
     served and how it served them, and whether the implementation was carried out as
     planned. The outcome component assessed whether the project was successful in
     improving self-sufficiency among its clients.
     
V.     SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE

     Developed partnerships to provide at-risk youth with educational and support services
     and to provide training and employment opportunities in hospital-based professions to
     assist them in becoming economically self-sufficient.
     
VI.    CONTACT

     J. Linsey Hinand, President
     Metropolitan Development Council
     (A Community Action Agency)
     622 Tacoma Avenue, South
     Suite 6
     Tacoma, Washington 98402
     206-383-3921
     FAX: 206-272-1962
     VII.   CASE STUDY

     The Problem: Youths, ages 17 -21 were at risk of gang and drug involvement, were
     low-income, and at risk of dropping out of school or had already dropped out.
     
     The Approach Adopted: The Metropolitan Development Council (MDC), a
     Community Action Agency serving the Tacoma area, formed partnerships with the public
     school system, the local Private Industry Council, and area hospitals to provide at-risk
     youth with educational opportunities, support services, and employment and training
     opportunities in hospital-based professions. Project HOPE (Hospital Opportunities for
     Professional Employment) also assists clients in obtaining full-time employment and
     becoming economically self-sufficient. The project's hypothesis is that those receiving
     services are more likely to gain self-sufficiency than youths who do not receive such
     services.
     
     How They Implemented The Approach: MDC coordinated activities between
     private hospitals, public schools, and social service providers to serve clients. Clients
     received wrap-around case management services, including ongoing counseling,
     intervention, referral, and employer/employee liaison. Tacoma Public Schools provided
     remedial education toward education completion. The Private Industry Council provided
     Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) eligibility screening, pre-employment assessment,
     try-out employment funding, and employment opportunities. Hospital employers
     provided mentors, paid internships, and Level A Pharmacy Tech training opportunities. It
     was expected that 45 youth each year would enter and complete the on-the-job training
     component. To meet the workplace regulations of some of the try-out employment
     environments, it was necessary for the project to expand its eligibility criteria and include
     youths who had completed high school or earned a General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
     The majority of Project HOPE's clients had either a diploma or GED.
     
     Results: Preliminary results indicate that Pharmacy Tech has been the most successful
     in retaining clients at follow-up. This program has the most stringent entry requirements,
     is the most demanding, and offers the most in job benefits, including salary. The major
     difficulty faced was financial, due to the participating local hospitals having declining
     resources available to support the employment training. Despite the difficulty, the
     hospitals remained committed to and enthusiastic about the program, its clients, and its
     staff, and several clients were hired by the hospitals upon program completion.
     
VIII.  KEY WORDS

     At-Risk Youth
     Community Action Agency
     Education
     Employment
     General Equivalency Diploma (GED)
     Hospitals
     Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)
     Pharmacy Tech
     Private Industry Council
     Public Schools
     Training
     Youth
     


ref:   hope.doc