TALLER SAN JOSE (6) - 2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• 24 months of links to Education Pathways to help youth achieve advanced certifications and enroll in and persist through post- secondary degree programs or apprenticeship training programs. Over a 28 -month period, Taller San Jose seeks to help youth improve their basic skills (as measured by a TABE test after 16 weeks of training), find employment and enroll in continuing education. At 28 months from the start of training, Taller San Jose expects that youth, who complete the training and secure a job, will demonstrate increased economic stability by achieving at least two of these three outcomes: 1) Wage progression to at least $12.50 per hour; 2) Employment progression (i.e., increase in number of hours worked or shift from temporary to permanent); and, 3) Educational progression and persistence, including achieving a post- secondary certificate, or completion of 6 months of an apprenticeship or AA degree. III. Population According to the U.S. Census, there are more than 55,000 impoverished youth, ages 18 -28, living in Central Orange County. Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2012 American Community Survey indicate that only 51 percent of Santa Ana residents over age 25 have a high school diploma (compared to 82.4 percent for Orange County), 10.8 percent of the population is unemployed (compared to 6.8 percent for Orange County) and 19.5 percent of the city's residents live in poverty (compared to 10.9 percent for Orange County). High unemployment among this target population, coupled with low high school graduation rates, high rates of criminal recidivism and an incarceration system stretched beyond its capacity, will continue to exacerbate this situation for the foreseeable future. Major gaps in education and experience prevent impoverished youth from moving on to community college or to employment with a self- sustaining wage. Taller San Jose believes that it has a unique opportunity to impact the ability of these "opportunity youth" to achieve and maintain self- sufficiency. Taller San Jose will recruit and enroll 10 out -of- school Santa Ana youth between 18 -21 years of age over the course of the next year. At least ten percent of youth will be from each of the following populations: 1) Foster /emancipated youth (Taller San Jose is a Guardian Scholar School of Orangewood Children's Home and each year between 8 and 15 students are referred to Taller San Jose from Orangewood); 2) Youth on probation: Taller San Jose actively recruits at PAC meetings and about 60 percent of its male students are on probation or parole; 3) Youth that have dropped out of high school; and, 4) Youth with disabilities. A Letter of Support from Santa Ana -based MOMS Orange County has been included as Attachment C and demonstrates the agency's commitment to refer at -risk youth to Taller San Jose. Taller San Jose will utilize the following recruitment efforts to ensure that 100% of 10 youth are enrolled into one of its five training tracks starting between July 1 and December 31, 2014: 1) Community Outreach Coordinator— based on information derived from a demographic scan identifying high -needs census tracts (i.e., low income communities with a high youth population and dense housing) in the City of Santa Ana, a staff member will actively market the program to potential students and organize recruitment efforts at local churches, jails, community centers, and other youth- serving nonprofits, among others; 2) Referrals from current and former Taller EXHIBIT A