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Go to School, Get A Job!!!An initiative which successfully utilized ARRA-Stimulus funding tosupport young people throughout New York City
Faisal Rahman, Director – DYCD Suzanne Foran, Henkels and McCoy
Department of Youth and Community Development
• DYCD is the government agency responsible for providing all youth services outside of the regular school day.
• We also improve family life by investing in strong, healthy communities.
• We achieve these goals by administering public funding to an array of innovative programs in the areas of:
• After-school • Runaway and Homeless Youth• Youth Workforce Development• Corporate Internships and
Summer Employment for Youth• Adolescent and Family Literacy• Beacon Community Centers• Cornerstone Programs
In-School Youth Program
• The In-School Youth (ISY) program is funded under Title 1 of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. ISY provides year-round services to at-risk high school juniors and seniors who meet certain eligibility requirements.
• ISY services are provided by 27 contractors in all five boroughs. • ISY Program Services Include:
– Objective needs assessments – Individualized Service Strategies (ISS) – Guidance and counseling services – “Step Up” Career Planning Guide – Paid internship opportunities and Summer Work Program – College preparation and out-of-city college trips – Project-based leadership activities – Sports, arts, technology and recreation activities
What is Go To School, Get A Job!
• During the 2009-2010 academic school year, ISY program was awarded $5.6 Million to provide internships to the currently cohort of existing participants and a group of new enrollees.
• By amending existing contracts and using current providers familiar with the WIA requirements enabled DYCD to quickly implement this new initiative
What is Go To School, Get A Job!
• The GTS initiative was created to provide jobs to all participants on the condition that they remained in high school and met academic and job performance standards.
• Jobs were designed for students to work 12 hours a week or as mutually agreed upon by the student and employer.
Project Goals
• The initiative was designed to mimic the goals of the In-School Youth Program’s core goals such as:– Building Soft & Hard Skills– Job Preparedness– Career Counseling– Drop-out Prevention– College-Preparedness– Financial Literacy– Mentoring Opportunities– Apprenticeship
Budget• Total Funding: $5,641,113– $2,246,769 awarded to ISY
service providers• Used to provide jobs for
existing 2,055 students• Provided additional enrollment
& provide jobs for 741 students– $3,394,344 allocated for
participant Wages
Cost Estimate• Participants were paid
$7.25 an hour (via debit cards)
• Unit cost: $1,124– $7.25/hr X 12 hrs/wk X
12 weeks = $1,044– FICA (7.65%) = $1,044 X
7.65% = $80.00– Total Unit Cost = $1,044+
$80= $1,114.00
GTS Program Development• ISY-online system
created to track program progress– Program monitoring – Timesheet maintenance– Wages earned
• Payment to participants– Bi-weekly – debit cards
GTS Statistics• Out of 2,796 ISY students, 2207
(79%) worked a total of 387,084 hours, which equates to $2,806,359 earned
• 2207 jobs breakdown (by sector)– 261 jobs were created in the
government sector– 389 jobs were created in the
Private Sector– 637 jobs were created in large non-
profits– 920 jobs were created in
community-based organizations
GTS Hours Statistics
Impact of GTS– Less Drop-out – Economic impact in
neighborhood – Programmatic impact in ISY
Summer Program – Programmatic impact in
individual contractors’ internship program
– Private sector impact- increased # of worksites
– Creation of ISY Specialized Internship Program
Achievement of High School Diploma
Engaged in Post Secondary after Graduation
Challenges• Decreased participation in
the other ISY program activities
• Excessive worksites created– Pre-approve process- (DYCD)– Difficulty in large-scale
monitoring- (DYCD & contractors)
– Difficulty in management of timesheets
– Juggling individual participant working hours & schedule
Lessons Learned• Revamp Work Readiness
Curriculum• Assist partner agencies to
create school year internship experiences
• Encourage Basic Skills Remediation to be offered through the context of work
• Connecting real work experience with academics resulted in higher levels of outcome attainment
GTS Success Stories - A former ARRA student who is
currently a sophomore at Queens borough Community College…
“The stimulus money helped me support myself and my family when my mother lost her job because of cutbacks. The internship helped me pay for my graduation cap & gown, yearbook, prom and my first semester’s tuition deposit ($500). The job taught me a lot. It allowed me the feel for a job in the real world and responsibility, how to make my own money and more importantly how to save, job readiness, etc.”
GTS Success Stories cont…- A former ARRA student who is the mother of a one year old
and planning on entering the army while her grandmother looks after the child…
With a baby on the way, fast deteriorating health and facing dropping out of school, this seventeen year old senior turned to the In-School Youth Program contractor in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. With the help from the agency’s Go to School, Get a Job (GTS) program counselor, she was placed at a Daycare Center.
“This experience has been great for me so far. Not only have I stayed in school and been able to save up some money for my baby, but working with kids has really helped to prepare me for how to treat my own child. My long-term goal is to open a center that can help kids focus on their career goals and guide them to achieve those goals. I want kids to be able to share their dreams, and be connected with a place that can help make them realities. Learning how to handle children in my current job has really helped me to see how I can use this experience to reach my goals, and use it to help others reach their goals too!”
GTS Success Stories cont…A former ARRA participant who was hired at his internship site after the program ended. He continues to work at the fitness center and is also attending the College of Staten Island…
This seventeen-year old senior at Susan Wagner High School in Staten Island needed to work while in school due to serious family financial hardship. He joined United Activities Unlimited ISY program and was placed at a fitness center. Not only did his grades improve but he was able to contribute to the family’s income.
“He is a smart, hard working young man who takes on every task assigned to him, as well as taking the initiative to do more while developing a wonderful rapport with clients” says Center owner
Keep in Touch!
Faisal Rahman212-676-9829
Suzanne Foran718-974-5991
