LESSONS LEARNEDChicago Youth Summit

November 18, 2009

Erik Payne Butler

TATC Consulting

LESSONS LEARNEDChicago Youth Summit

The following slides present a summary of the lessons learned during the Recovering America’s Youth Summit in Chicago – November 17-18, 2009.

Using a Reflect / Explore / Plan format, the lessons learned from the 20 workshops and panels are summarized.

REFLECT

The summer experience was positive experience; could be better with improved national guidance, more advance planning, and tighter local implementation

State leadership is crucial; states can make it or break it or delay it so long it looks broken

Quality work experiences require early planning, frequent monitoring, and better use of technology; good private sector participation helps

Reflect (cont’d)

You can serve disconnected youth and be successful with a positive work experience

A lot of the summer jobs program is engineering, from recruitment to placement to monitoring to payroll

In many local economies, public summer jobs may be the only opportunities for disadvantaged youth to work and to learn to work

Older youth are more demanding of variety and engagement

EXPLORE

Even in a tough economy, there are jobs to be had

Green jobs driven by federal policy, and by required partnerships among federal agencies – they’re coming, but slowly.

Developing a pathway mirrors development of the industry itself

Health care jobs are here now, growing, accelerating; WF system has current capacity, should expand

Explore, cont’d

“brownfield” jobs potential is good match for youth; will require care not to exploit

“the new high school diploma is an associate’s degree”

Need lots more work, clarity around work readiness –activities and credential

Supportive services, leveraged where possible, needed even in summer

PLAN

Programs need to be driven and marketed with better data on youth, skills, and jobs, using technology

There are models worth learning about and adapting e.g. IPIC-YES voucher, health academies, others presented here

Private/public partnerships not just a cliché; dynamic relationships create constituencies for youth, deliver services better

Plan, cont’d

Learn to make a “business case” for young people as potential employees

Evaluation is our friend; new techniques are needed to match available data with local realities. We appreciate “appreciative inquiry”

Plan NOW for the next program year, in expectation that it will happen