TALLER SAN JOSE (2) - 2009 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The mission of Taller San Jose is aligned to that of the Santa Ana Youth Council-to enable youth, particularly those most in need, to acquire the necessary skills to successfully transition into and compete in the labor force and to further their education and training. Taller San Jose's focus is on Training/Workforce Development. By focusing on traditionally high-growth industries and emphasizing living-wage employment with health benefits, Taller San Jose gives its students the skills needed to enter today's workforce and move out of poverty so that they can support themselves and their families. Long-term life changes for Taller San Jose graduates include: 92% of students are not arrested for violent crime as long as 3 years post-graduation; and, 82% of students who complete their program goals move on to full-time employment beyond minimum wage or to community college. Funding from the WIA program will allow Taller San Jose to provide job training and job development services to 15 Santa Ana residents. Taller San Jose attributes its success at reaching and retaining Santa Ana's undereducated and unskilled youth to a holistic, relational approach to education and training. The philosophy of the program calls for high interaction between staff and participants. Staff members focus on making warm and supportive contacts with each participant from the first phone contact/walk-in, through orientation sessions and throughout the first critical weeks of the student's participation. Taller San Jose therefore employs twenty-one full-time and two part-time staff, with an additional part-time ROP/Centennial staff member available to youth enrolled at Taller San Jose. Staff members work with each youth on a daily basis to provide support services, instruction, training, and mentoring. C. Goals/Objectives and Performance Levels With funding from the Workforce Investment Act, Taller San Jose will recruit and enroll 15 youth over the course of the next year. By focusing on traditionally high-growth industries and emphasizing living-wage employment with health benefits, Taller San Jose gives its students the skills needed to enter today's workforce and move out of poverty so that they can support themselves and their families. Taller San Jose's job-training programs simulate the workforce and strive to assist young adults to become economically self-sufficient in a relatively short period of time (16 weeks) through intensive training that leads to living-wage employment. Candidates for training are interviewed, possess right-to-work documents, must pass a drug screen, are required to comply with uniform standards and are expected to be present daily and on time. Youth who meet the minimum requirements for enrollment take part in an interview and assessment prior to enrolling in job- training at Taller San Jose. The TABE assessment test is used to identify the basic skill proficiency levels of each student. Program components are then adjusted to meet the youth's basic skills needs as determined by the assessment. Enrollment activities begin one month prior to the course start date. This is followed by 16 weeks of intensive job-training. Taller San Jose's Case Managers monitor student attendance, goal setting and achievement, educational assessment and progress, to identify students in danger of dropping out of its job-training programs. Those who complete the 16-week training program work with onsite job developers to prepare resumes, practice interviewing skills and find employment. Program graduates receive WIA-recognized certification from one of the following entities: Certiport (Microsoft), American Heart Association (Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers), or the U.S. Department of Labor/Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 5 sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange