HIRED, Inc.

Purpose: To provide individualized education plans, training opportunities, and wrap-around support services to young, working parents who are between 14 and 24 years of age.

The Career Advancement Preparation Program for assists young parents aged 14 to 24 to obtain employment and careers leading to economic self-sufficiency. The program fills a need for more flexible, more intensive, and longer-term services for clients whose needs could not be met in existing welfare-to-work or other youth programs. Services are delivered mainly through a long-term case management relationship with clients lasting up to two years. The program helps clients identify skills and interests, develop a career and training plan, select and enroll in a training or education program, and address comprehensive like skills. Participants without a high school credential are helped to complete their high school diploma or GED, while those who already have this credential are helped to obtain work experience and training to advance in their careers. The program also provides parenting classes, parent support groups, and adult mentorships to provide additional support to the participants. The case manager helps participants identify and develop a solid support system to help them to excel and achieve their career and life goals. Most participants are in survival jobs at the time of enrollment. The coordinator helps participants access training and/or internships to move them into entry level positions in their career area of choice. If a participant loses a job while in the program, the coordinator works closely with the participant to regain employment. The coordinator calls and visits the employment site (when appropriate) to provide encouragement and support to both the participant and the employer. Incentives are provided to participants who maintain employment, together with career laddering information and counseling.

	Partners: (As of April 2003)
		Educational: The CAPP program is highly individualized with participants attending a variety of educational and/or training programs. Examples are: MCTC, St. Catherine’s, St. Paul Technical College, Inver Grove Heights Community College, Goodwill/Easter Seals, and Minnesota School of Bartending. In addition, CAPP participants have attended customized training that was designed to provide vocational skills necessary to advance in a specific occupation. ECFE cooperates in providing parent support
		Employers and business organization: HIRED utilizes the HIRED JOB LINK data base as a major tool to help participants explore employment opportunities in the metro area. In addition to the JOB LINK system, HIRED’s Employer Advisory Board (EAB) includes employers such as: Fairview Health Services, the University of Minnesota – Dining Service and Academic Health Service, West Publishing and others. Internships have been developed individually at many other employers such as: Low Cost Furniture, Community Fitness Today, North Community High School, Center for Fathering, and the Children’s Dental Service
		Non-Profit Organizations: HIRED, Inc., MELD (parenting training), Life Long Mentoring Service, Center for Fathering, Community Fitness Today
		Public philanthropic, and other organizations: None
	Participants: Low-wage, working young parents age 14-24 who have demonstrated the desire, potential, and maturity necessary to work toward higher level positions.
	Recruitment: Eligible clients referred by counselors at any of HIRED’s 14 sites; primarily from MFIP and youth programs. A small percentage (20%) of participants are referred from sources outside HIRED such as ECFE, Rehabilitation Services, the Workforce Center, and from the community.
	Training: Once supports are in place for a stable home life, the career counselor provides extensive individualized career planning and assist in registering youth for training and educational programs, including hard skills (for more than half), soft skills (for all), and basic skills including GED preparation (for fewer than half)
	Support Services: Ongoing coaching in soft skills, budgeting, financial planning, understanding employment benefits, and other topics related to managing work and home life, will be offered based on needs of participants. HIRED is partnering with MELD and ECFE to provide a parent support group for participants
	Job placement, retention and advancement: Internships are developed with individual employers after client interests, skills, and career plans are developed. Partnerships have also been developed with a variety of employers that are providing internship opportunities