Boosting Youth Workforce Readiness
On-Demand
Webinar
What are the unique needs and opportunities for youth in the current workforce landscape and how can libraries help? The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the workforce readiness track and educational path for today’s young adults. In the past, many young people have pursued part-time employment and the development of skills and interests in anticipation of college or career readiness. In the aftermath of COVID-19, many now face the necessity of working to help with household expenses, watching younger siblings while parents work, and a lack of Internet access, resulting in them falling behind in their workforce readiness.
This on-demand webinar—the fifth in the Public Libraries: Partners in Workforce Development series—looks at programs happening in both formal and informal learning environments that are helping youth develop essential skills and experiences to be successful in pursuit of their interests and skills, including work-based learning opportunities, apprenticeships, and more.
Originally presented October 28, 2021.
The series was co-developed by PLA and Libswork, a national networking group on workforce and small business development. Other webinars in this series:
- Partnering to Meet Community Workforce Needs
Panelists: Xenia Hernández, Scott B. Sanders, Shayne Spaulding & Shanika Wallace - Strengthen Patron Workforce Opportunities with Labor Market Information
Panelists: Stephanie Holcomb, David Klokner, Ron Painter & Natalie Ruppert - Supporting Patrons to Obtain In-Demand Credentials That Boost Employability and Career Mobility
Panelists: Emily Felt, Haley Glovoer, Karsten Heise, Elizabeth Iaukea & Tammy Westergard - Bridging Workers’ Digital Skills Gaps through Libraries
Panelists: Stacey Aldrich, Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, Scott Kuchinsky, Jen Nelson & Ka‘ala Souza - Supporting Formerly Incarcerated Individuals with a Fresh Start @ Your Library
Panelists: Sherry Sandler, Sarah Swiderski & Nicole Warren
Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of this on-demand webinar, participants will be able to:
- Identify current trends happening post-COVID regarding youth and the workforce;
- Identify available resources and partnerships at the national and local level to support youth skills and development in workforce; and
- Apply best practices and recommendations from libraries that are currently supporting youth in their workforce/entrepreneurial skill development and goals in their communities.
Additional Resources
- Slideshows:
- Larra Clark & Lisa Shaw (PDF)
- Janelle Duray (PDF)
- Marquita Friday & Jennifer Griffin (PDF)
- Kate Aubin (PDF)
- Links shared by Panelists:
- Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG)
https://jag.org - Duray's Citations:
- Labor Force Participation Rate - Black or African American (FRED Economic Data)
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS11300006#0 - Black workers saw a big drop in unemployment in July, but many left the labor force altogether (Insider)
https://www.businessinsider.com/unemployment-labor-force-participation-race-and-ethnicity-in-july-2021-2021-8 - Experts worry summer's robust restaurant industry rebound was 'an artificial sugar rush' (Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/10/08/restaurant-job-growth-slows/ - Employment and Unemployment Among Youth (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/youth.pdf - Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm
- Labor Force Participation Rate - Black or African American (FRED Economic Data)
- U.S. Department of Labor:
- State Apprentice Agencies
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/apprenticeship/contact/state-agencies - What is a Registered Apprenticeship Program?
https://www.apprenticeship.gov/employers/registered-apprenticeship-program
- State Apprentice Agencies
- Career and Technical Education (U.S. Department of Education)
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/cte/index.html - Essential Work: Analyzing the Hiring Technologies of Large Hourly Employers (Upturn)
https://www.upturn.org/reports/2021/essential-work/ - Providence Public Library:
- Data for Good
https://www.provlib.org/education/adults/rhode-island-tableau-user-group-ritug/data-for-good/ - Providence Public Library Receives $530,000 IMLS Grant to Create a High Impact Workforce Development Program Model to Serve 600+ Local Teens
https://www.provlib.org/providence-public-library-receives-530000-imls-grant-create-high-impact-workforce-development-program-model-serve-600-local-teens/
- Data for Good
- For All Systems
https://www.forallsystems.com - All Course Network (Rhode Island Department of Education)
https://www.ride.ri.gov/StudentsFamilies/EducationPrograms/AllCourseNetwork.aspx - The Skills Mismatch (National Skills Coalition)
https://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/skills-mismatch/
- Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG)
- Chat Transcript (PDF)
Who Should Attend
This on-demand webinar is intended for library and community partner staff formally or informally developing and delivering young adult workforce and career services—or planning to do so.
Panelists
Kate Aubin (she/hers) has more than a decade of experience working with youth as an educator (both formally and informally), an advisor, a supervisor, a tutor, a mentor, and an advocate. She is the head of youth services at Providence (RI) Public Library, where she develops curriculum, plans programs, and delivers education and workforce development programming for youth. Aubin received the Rhode Island Afterschool Educator of the Year award in 2019.
Janelle Duray has over ten years of experience in education and workforce development consulting and nonprofit management. She serves as the executive vice president of Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), a national nonprofit that has served 1.5 million youth since its inception forty years ago, and currently serves 75,000 youth across 1,450 communities. Janelle works closely with JAG’s president and the JAG national board of directors members to support JAG affiliates in program implementation. Duray collaborates with the state’s leaders, including governors, chief state school officers, and commissioners of workforce development and labor, to provide critical services to youth and young adults through the JAG Model program. She also oversees JAG’s national partnerships, working to develop strategic relationships that expand beyond financial development to fully engage JAG students and employer partners for more meaningful impact and engagement at the programmatic, local level.
Marquita Friday currently serves as the director of career programs for the Division of Career and College Readiness at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) where she has held progressively responsible positions since 1998. She holds a master’s degree in adult education from the University of the District of Columbia and a bachelor’s degree in communication with a minor in journalism. Her responsibilities at MSDE include providing leadership to implement high-quality career and technical education programs for secondary and postsecondary learners in the following career cluster areas: arts, media, and communication; health and biosciences; information technology; and manufacturing, engineering, and technology. Friday also oversees the MSDE’s youth apprenticeship initiative through the development and statewide expansion of Apprenticeship Maryland. Additionally, she oversees the statewide implementation of three career and technical student organizations: FFA, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and SkillsUSA, which together serve approximately 13,000 student members in all of Maryland’s twenty-four local school systems.
Jennifer Griffin currently serves as the career programs and apprenticeship specialist for the Division of Career and College Readiness at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), where she has held progressively responsible positions since 2013. She holds a master’s degree in school administration from North Carolina State A & T University and a bachelor’s degree in hotel/restaurant management from Southern New Hampshire University. Her responsibilities at MSDE include providing support to implement high-quality career and technical education programs for secondary and postsecondary learners in the following career cluster areas: arts, media, and communication; and construction and development; as well as oversees Apprenticeship Maryland, career research and development, work-based learning, and financial literacy education.
Presented By:
