The 3-Pronged Approach that Empowers Young People to Succeed

Janelle Duray - Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Jobs for America's Graduates

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Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) is on a mission to empower the nation's young people with the skills and the support they need to succeed in education, employment, and life.

Their vision? All young people are prepared for future success.

JAG reaches 70,000 young people in 1,500 communities across the United States - students who are underserved and face barriers and challenges that leave them disconnected from traditional education. Through their unique JAG Model and 3-pronged JAG Advantage, the organization is able to reach these students where they are, give them voice and choice in their education journey, get connected with local employers, and get the support and skills they need to find future success.

In this episode, JAG Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Janelle Duray joins us for a discussion around JAG's strategy and the impact it's having on students across the country. Educators, employers and community leaders will glean great insights from the success stories Janelle shares with us.

3 Big Takeaways from this episode:

JAG's unique model empowers students who have been disengaged from traditional education: Thousands of students in the U.S. face barriers to education and life success - often outside of school - that manifest in their education journey and create challenges to success. JAG Specialists and classrooms meet students where they are, give them voice and choice in their education pathway, give them a place to belong, and support them with tools to succeed in education, life and work. This model has resulted in over 96% graduation rate and 96% continuing education rates (2-year, 4-year or apprenticeship) for JAG students.
Young people do better when classrooms emulate how the real world works: JAG classrooms rely heavily on project-based learning (PBL). When students learn by doing, they can directly relate their education to their life and career outside of school. Education as a whole can learn from PBL's success. The modern classroom structure, schedule and focus hasn't evolved with the rest of the world, and the JAG model is the next evolution of education that truly sets up students for success in 2022.
The 3-pronged approach to student success combines project-based-learning + trauma-informed care + employer engagement: The JAG Advantage, as this formula is called, ties together three student-centered strategies to education. PBL helps students learn by doing. Trauma-informed care seeks to understand each individual's struggles, help them build relationships, teach resiliency and gives them voice and choice in the classroom. Employer engagement gets local employers involved from the start - from classroom and facility visits to apprenticeships and job opportunities - employers are actively engaged with JAG students.

Resources

Connect with Janelle Duray on LinkedIn

To learn about the work of Jobs for America's Graduates, visit: jag.org

Connect with JAG on social media:

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube

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