Create
demand among employers and workplace partners
Intermediaries coordinate employer engagement efforts
and streamline the system for employer contact. For example, they:
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- Coordinate
and conduct marketing activities;
- Consolidate
marketing resources
- Survey
employer needs and industry trends;
- Survey
and identify the available placement pool;
- Train
school and community-based employer outreach staff;
- Address
regional barriers (e.g. transportation).
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for examples.
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Provide
services to address employer and workplace partner needs
Intermediaries provide specialized services to employers
and workplace partners, based on needs identified by employers and
their workforce engaged in programs serving youth. For example, they: |
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Assist workplace partners in designing work-based experiences
that meet the needs of youth and the workplace;
- Provide
orientation and training to workplace supervisors;
- Recruit
and screen youth to employer specifications;
- Facilitate
employer input into program standards, assessment, and curriculum;
- Assist
workplace partners in addressing legal and logistical issues;
- Assist
employers in coordination activity through local or regional industry
associations;
- Improve
quality of workplace experiences.
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here for examples.
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Build
awareness and buy-in among educators and community partners
Intermediaries
work with K-12 schools, postsecondary institutions, and community-based
and other youth-serving organizations to promote the educational value
of learning in the workplace. For example, they: |
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- Promote
work experiences as a way to build and support academic and broad-based
employability skills development;
- Create
"learning networks" of educators, administrators and
youth development professionals to support implementation;
- Market
school-to-career among school constituencies through presentations
to administrators, school boards, and other policy bodies;
- Help
engage parents and students in developing realistic and positive
career goals;
- Provide
opportunities for teachers and counselors to experience high-performing
workplaces.
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for examples.
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Provide
services to support the involvement of educational and training institutions
Intermediaries provide services to build the capacity of schools and
youth-serving community-based organizations to connect effectively
to employers, workplaces and the community at large. For example,
they: |
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- Help
schools and teachers understand and connect to the regional economy
and industry-based skill standards;
- Improve
collaborations between schools and other organizations serving
youth
- Coordinate
work-based learning placement programs;
- Help
schools align work-based learning experiences to academic curricula
and standards;
- Make
professional development opportunities available tto teachers
and counselors on contextual and project-based learning and on
labor market and employment trends;
- Identify
and propose strategies for overcoming barriers to integrated funding
and program delivery;
- Connect
postsecondary institutions to K-12 schools and help strengthen
pathways to college.
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here for examples.
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Promote
and improve the quality of work-based learning for all youth
Intermediaries
focus on creating quality experiences in the workplace for a communityês
young people. They help define the roles and expectations of partners
and support rich experiences outside the classroom for young people.
For example, they: |
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- Generate
consensus on the definitions and expectations of work-based learning
experience;
- Develop
common documentation and assessment instruments for work-based
learning;
- Provide
orientation, training, and support to teachers and counselors;
- Provide
long-term support and follow-up for youth when placed;
- Connect
workplace experiences to students' course of study;
- Arrange
course or academic credit where possible;
- Promote
and document the value of work as learning.
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here for examples.
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Connect
all youth to appropriate, high-quality learning experiences
Intermediaries
adopt a youth-centered approach and help youth connect to high-quality
learning opportunities in schools, workplaces, the community, and
postsecondary educational, training, and career environments. For
example, they: |
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- Promote
a common understanding of youth readiness;
- Ensure
youth are prepared for their workplace experiences;
- Create,
deliver, or influence job-readiness activities;
- Recruit,
screen, and refer youth for placement to ensure quality matches;
- Provide
a developmentally appropriate sequence of work-based learning
experiences for youth;
- Connect
youth to post-secondary options, adult mentors, and community-based
support services.
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for examples.
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Provide
the communications link between all parties
Intermediaries
provide the critical communications link among partners: employers,
the different levels of the educational system, community-based partners,
labor organizations, parents, teachers, students, and other stakeholders.
For example, they: |
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- Develop
and implement communication and management systems for schools,
workplaces, and brokering organizations;
- Provide
regular opportunities for interaction among partners;
- Provide
regular reports and information to partners and the public;
- Create
and implement a common data system for tracking employer contact,
student progress, program activities and outcomes
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here for examples.
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Create
a system focused on quality, evaluation and improvement among all
partners
Intermediaries subscribe to the principles of continuous improvement.
They set goals, regularly measure progress, and seek to improve program
quality. For example, they: |
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- Set
and maintain common standards for quality among all program partners;
- Use
customer surveys to gauge impacts and adjust program strategies;
- Conduct
regular internal reviews of program performance;
- Support
external evaluations;l
- Develop
and provide technical assistance in the use of management information
systems that track program implementation and student outcomes
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for examples.
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