Junior Achievement of Western New York Part of a U.S. Department of Labor Grant to Prepare Young Adults for the Workforce

For Immediate Release:
January 9, 2024

For more information, contact:
John Crawford
President, Junior Achievement of WNY
jcrawford@jawny.org
716-853-1381, ext. 211

Junior Achievement of Western New York Part of a U.S. Department of Labor Grant to Prepare Young Adults for the Workforce
Workforce Pathways for Youth Demonstration Grant Will Support JA Initiatives in Five States

(Buffalo, NY) – Junior Achievement of Western New York announced that it is one of five JA offices from across the United States to participate in a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor as part of its Workforce Pathways for Youth demonstration initiative. With the support of JA USA, Junior Achievement operations in five states are developing a Workforce Pathways program that will lead to a national offering. The JA operations are:

California (JA of Northern California – The Bay Area)
Indiana (JA of Southwestern Indiana – Evansville area)
New York (JA of Western New York – Buffalo area)
Pennsylvania (JA of Southeastern Pennsylvania – Philadelphia area)
Virginia (JA of Southwest Virginia – Roanoke area)

The JA Area offices will deploy age-appropriate workforce readiness resources for youth between 14 and 21, primarily in rural areas. These resources will address soft skill development, career exploration, job readiness, work-based learning opportunities, and other experiences such as summer jobs and apprenticeships.

“Junior Achievement has a long history serving students from kindergarten through high school,” said John Crawford, President and CEO of Junior Achievement of Western New York. “In recent years, JA’s robust content and programs (including financial literacy and career readiness) have proven to be valuable for young adults, as well. With this recognition, local JA Areas are increasingly tapped to take part in workforce conversations and this grant is an extension of that existing work.”

In support of the initiative, as well as JA’s desire to more effectively connect young adults to workforce and postsecondary education pathways, JA USA is launching several existing and new initiatives focused on this young adult space, covering the areas of:

Coaching
Credentialing
Badging
A talent marketplace complete with resume tools and connection to employment. (SmartResume)

The launch of JA’s Workforce strategy will support the creation of new partnerships between local workforce development boards and youth-serving out-of-school organizations, establishing new connections and strengthening the density of existing connections with local workforce partners, community organizations, and other nonprofits.

About the Grant

To support workforce development programs that prepare young people and help them access good-paying careers, the U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded $14 million in grants to seven organizations in five states to deliver workforce services when youth are out of school.

The Workforce Pathways for Youth demonstration grants being made to parent organizations in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia and Virginia are intended to support recipients’ efforts to supply workforce readiness programming for historically underserved youth from ages 14 to 21 in 21 states and American Samoa.

Organizations will deliver job training and develop summer and year-round workforce pathway opportunities for youth and include strategies such as soft skills development, career exploration, job readiness and industry-based certifications. These strategies may also include proven earn-and-learn models of pre-apprenticeships and Registered Apprenticeships.

About Junior Achievement of Western New York

Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students in kindergarten through 12th grade about financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and career & work readiness through experiential, hands-on programs. In the 2022-2023 school year, Junior Achievement of WNY enriched the lives of 9,691 students in 82 schools and community organizations throughout the eight counties of Western New York. For more information about Junior Achievement of Western New York and how you can make a difference in a child’s life, visit our website at www.jawny.org, follow us on Twitter at @JAofWNY, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jaofwny.