TALLER SAN JOSE (5) - 2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I. About the Program A. Executive Summary Taller San Jose seeks a grant of $126,795 to recruit and train 20 out -of- school Santa Ana youth with the skills needed to find employment in the allied health, general office and construction fields. Ten percent of the youth trained will be either: 1) foster or emancipated youth; 2) youth on probation; or, 3) youth with disabilities. Taller San Jose (St. Joseph's Workshop) walks undereducated, unskilled and unemployed young people (ages 18 -28) out of poverty through job training that offers the hope of a productive and self - reliant future. Young people in Santa Ana, who have not completed high school, who have no defined job skills, and who have criminal records, face a number of significant obstacles. Taller San Jose addresses these barriers to employment or academic achievement through intensive classroom instruction, hands -on training, and effective adult mentoring. It is a highly focused, goal- oriented program that challenges its participants to build a foundation for future sustainability. Through intensive job- training efforts in office careers, medical careers, and construction, youth acquire essential hands -on skills while learning how to adhere to basic employment principles such as: showing up on -time and as scheduled, working as team members to complete assignments, keeping work areas clean, safely using all tools and equipment, and properly filling out time cards. Taller San Jose challenges students to complete the following seven goals: obtain a high school diploma; open and use a bank account; enroll in a computer class; find a job paying above the minimum wage; remain crime free; register to vote; and obtain a valid driver's license. Trainees are also provided 24 months of support services that include mentoring and counseling, legal assistance and job placement. The more than 200 youth who attend Taller San Jose annually reflect the following profile: Ethnicity: 72% of youth are Latino, 13% are Caucasian, 7% Asian, 3% African American and 5% Other; Age: Youth between the ages of 18 and 28; Court - involvement: 59% of male students are on probation or parole; Education: 65% are deficient in basic skills; 38% did not complete high school; Job experience: 77% are unemployed. 37% have never held a job; Family profile: 22% of female students and 17% of male students are parents. 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, 70% of graduates move on to full -time employment beyond minimum wage or to community college or apprenticeship. Since 1995, Taller San Jose has helped over 4,500 young people in Central Orange County restructure their lives, finish their education and develop marketable job skills. The proposed program will target low- income, undereducated, unskilled and unemployed Santa Ana youth who are between the ages of 18 and 21, with right -to -work documents and who share one or more of the following characteristics: are deficient in basic skills, have dropped out of school, are homeless or foster youth, are pregnant or parenting a child and /or are current or past offenders. The program will provide WIA elements 3 through 10. Taller San Jose will utilize the following recruitment efforts: 1) Community Outreach Coordinator —a staff member actively markets the program to potential students and organizes recruitment efforts at, among other locations, local churches, jails, community centers, other youth- serving nonprofits, etc.; 2) Referrals from current Taller San Jose students — about 65% of students are referred by a friend or relative; 3) Referrals from community partners including: the Exhibit A