The alarm bells have been ringing loudly. Connecticut must recognize this growing emergency and take action now to fund essential programming for our youth.
The data is plainly evident: 119,000 young people across Connecticut, age 14-26, are disconnected from education and jobs. Meanwhile, Connecticut employers struggle to find qualified, prepared workers who persevere through hiring and maintain productive employment.
This mismatch between workforce needs and youth preparedness can be bridged. While many youth have not developed essential soft skills or been exposed to accessible employment opportunities, they are thirsty for programs that believe in them, that construct the necessary bridges. Our young people are ready to do the work and they deserve mentors and programs that help them build not only resumes but also visions of themselves as valued contributors and community leaders.
These “disconnected” youth often have complicated lives and navigate the world without the safety nets many of us take for granted. For them, a speed bump can easily become a roadblock if we don’t have programs established to scaffold them through those start up years. Part of the solution is a state committed to devoting sufficient resources to meet their very real needs.
Substantive recommendations have been provided to legislators from a coalition of nonprofit organizations, including EASTCONN, coordinated by United Way of Connecticut and the Young People First report developed by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities after research and public forums last year. There is a framework for meaningful action.
Just a few months ago, at an informational session at the State Capitol complex, one of the most powerful moments came from Giselle Valentine, a Windham High School junior who shared her journey from foster care and homelessness to finding stability. She attributed her success to her involvement with the Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board’s (EWIB) Connecticut Youth Employment Program (CYEP) delivered in partnership with EASTCONN. It was through this program that Valentine secured an internship at a local library, which later turned into a part-time position.
“Without these programs, I may not have had the chance to explore my potential in the workforce or as a student, gain valuable job experiences, and build confidence and motivation to continue striving toward my goals,” Valentine told legislators. Hers is just one of the many compelling real-life stories.
Yet despite documented success and strong demand from both employers and youth, the program in Eastern Connecticut – as is true of similar programs across the state – faces an ever-present challenge: wait lists! We have employers who want to participate, we have youth lining up ready to engage, we have a documented need for the programming from both a moral and an economic perspective, we have evidence of ROI, and yet we have wait lists.
These programs provide essential scaffolding during crucial years when minor setbacks could otherwise become major obstacles for young people. The situation is particularly acute in rural communities, where transportation limitations and sparse resources create additional barriers for young people seeking employment opportunities. The hole of despair here can be quite deep, and bootstrap-pulling often won’t help.
But it is a statewide challenge impacting youth, in each and every city and town. We need a commitment from our lawmakers to do what it takes – right now – while we still can.
“My childhood was far from easy,” recalled Dan, a participant in EWIB’s CYEP delivered in partnership with EASTCONN. “There were times when it felt like everything was falling apart.” When his father was injured in an accident, Dan became the primary breadwinner for the family, juggling school responsibilities while working multiple shifts – including overnights – at McDonald’s. “I did what I had to do to keep us afloat,” he recalled.
The differences between before and after are unmistakable, when these youth have a place to turn. Last year, 90% of the young people who participated in our regional employment and training program successfully completed the program while 95% returned to school or found jobs. According to Michael Nogelo, President/CEO of the Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board, “The CYEP addresses two of Connecticut’s most pressing challenges: youth disconnection and labor shortages. As older workers retire, the CYEP creates a pipeline of young workers with the skills and experience to step into those roles to buoy our businesses and our economy.”
The legislature has within its power the ability to address the persistent delays resulting from insufficient resources. In the coming weeks, there will be a public hearing on proposed legislation — the next step in a process that could, with adequate resolve, lead to revisions to state policy this year, accompanied by necessary resources, to move youth from waiting lists to tangible programs that can become pathways to job opportunities and careers.
As Eric S. Protulis, Executive Director at EASTCONN recently pointed out, “these programs do more than teach job skills – they open doors to possibilities that can launch young individuals onto positive, fulfilling paths as engaged and contributing members of our communities.”
We don’t have time to wait. These young people need us. We need to act to fund programs now.
Kristin Hempel is Director of Adult & Community Programs at EASTCONN, a public, non-profit Regional Educational Service Center.