Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) is a state-based national non-profit, working with young people who are most at-risk. In more than three decades of operation, JAG brings consistent, compelling results, helping students stay in school through graduation, pursue post-secondary education and secure quality employment and sustaining jobs and careers.

  • Youth unemployment is at a record high, especially for urban and minority teenagers, and we know this impacts their lifetime earnings and prospects. Yet at the same time, AT&T and other businesses are struggling to find workers who have the mindset, habits, and skills to help us succeed. Click here for the full article.CTNJ 5 7 16

  • neysha flores

    Looking for more JAG workers!

    Like many Connecticut employers, Neysha Flores, above, a vendor services supervisor with National Waste Associates of Glastonbury, is continually looking for workers who are smart, willing and able to learn, and who have the good work habits to fit in and help her company.

    In JAG, Neysha found a great worker, and she would like to find more.

    “Rossana came to us without any business experience, but she impressed us from the first interview, and she has gone on to learn many different elements of our business,” Neysha said, of Rossana Bustamonte, a Manchester High School JAG student she hired six months ago.

    “When she interviewed with us she was well-spoken and outgoing and made a very good impression. She’s doing a really good job, handling everything from cold-calling new vendors to dealing with emergency situations and different types of contracts.

    “She is a good fit for us,” Neysha continued. “I would definitely hire another JAG student in the future.”

  • Zakeya Herring

    zakeyah herringCongratulations to Zakeyah Herring of James H. Hillhouse High School in New Haven! Zakeya received a $1,000 Kenneth M. Smith Scholarship. The scholarship, named for JAG National President Kenneth M. Smith, is open only to JAG students; Zakeyah was one of 23 recipients, from 108 applicants from around the country. The scholarship is renewable next year. 

  • Design Thinking: JAG’s Strength and Effectiveness

    "My support for JAG is also that it is not an adjunct program; it is really built into the school day.

    "The strength of this program… is designing backwards from what we want graduates to look like in the end. Working with industry the message is consistently same: They want graduates that think and can problem solve and have the habits of mind to be part of an organization. The JAG Program, and schools that have that focus built in as part of their day, are better able to achieve this. The JAG program really focuses on teaching explicitly those soft skills and what we call habits of mind . You don’t always find that in conventional education."

    ~Steve Pynn. JAG CT Advisory Board member

    "Having been in education for a long time, I have never had a role like this, and it’s very rewarding."

    ~Justine Meyer, Lead JAG CT and Manchester High Specialist

    Excerpts from MetroHartford Alliance's Pulse of the Region, November 21, 2015

  • Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) is a state-based national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing dropouts among young people who are most at-risk. In more than three decades of operation, JAG has delivered consistent, compelling results – helping nearly a million young people stay in school through graduation, pursue post-secondary education and secure quality entry-level jobs leading to career advancement opportunities.

Aug
31

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JAG CT Team Ready for New Year!

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JAG CT is ready for the 2015-16 school year with a dedicated team of Specialists and a full school year to work with students.

Classes began last week in East Hartford and Manchester, and today in New Britain and New Haven.JAG’s team has been at work already with training over the summer and setting up classrooms and preparing activities for students.

After launching in January of this year, JAG Specialists are particularly excited to be able to work with their students for a full school year. JAG is an elective credit, with Specialists offering instruction in JAG’s professional skills as well as meeting individually with students to identify career interests and educational and career goals. Students will also take part in JAG’s Career Association, working on community service projects and developing leadership skills.

Since JAG also provides 12 months of follow-up support to students, Specialists also worked this summer bringing their students to tour community colleges, helping families complete the FAFSA and making other plans as needed.

JAG was brought to Connecticut in 2014 by the state Department of Labor and the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education after decades of success throughout the country in getting at-risk youth to graduate from high school and move on to success in the workforce and in post-secondary education. Specialists are at work in six schools: East Hartford High School, Manchester High School, New Britain High School and the Satellite Career Academy, and Hillhouse and New Horizons in New Haven.

Standing from left are Courtney Sak of New Horizons, Justine Meyer of Manchester High and Nicole Jones of HIllhouse High. Seated from left are Richard Hegeman of the New Britain High School Satellite Career Academy, Patty Damiani of East Hartford High School and Emily Carver of New Britain High.

Jun
16

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JAG Class of 2015!

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Congratulations to the JAG CT Class of 2015!

After a successful launch this January, JAG students are graduating this week, proudly wearing the red, white and blue honor chord signifying their successful participation in JAG.

Pictured below is DeJesus Aguilar, who graduated Monday with his East Hartford High School classmates at the Bushnell Theatre in Hartford. Pictured above are New Horizons graduates, from left, Fabiola Gonzalez and Terrance Draughn, their JAG Specialist Courtney Sak, and Dionandre Martin.

Manchester High School’s commencement was Tuesday at the Xfinity Center in Hartford; Wednesday night was New Horizon’s ceremony, Hillhouse in New Haven is be Thursday, and New Britain High School and the NBHS Satellite Career Academy will be Tuesday.

JAG’s six Specialists throughout the state have worked hard on postsecondary planning, job placement, and teaching all of JAG’s professional and life skills. They will now begin the 12-month follow up phase, and have plans to stay in touch with their students throughout the summer and next  year.

Congratulations everyone!

eh grad

 

Jun
12

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EHHS JAG Students Create Businesses

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By Patty Damiani
As the JAG specialist at East Hartford High School, I am always looking for ways to bring the JAG competencies to life, and give students the chance to practice their communication, teamwork and leadership skills.

One way to teach my students what bosses want in an employee, I thought, was to make my students BE the bosses. So recently I created an activity in which students came up with their own businesses: Creating a logo, a dress code, and description of what they want in their workers.

Who's the Boss? Alex Strevel (fitness club) and Yanneliz Perez (doughnut shop) tell their classmates what they are looking for in an employee.

Who’s the Boss? Alex Strevel (fitness club) and Yanneliz Perez (doughnut shop) tell their classmates what they are looking for in an employee.

The students then presented their business ideas to the class and had their classmates fill out applications for the businesses where they wanted to work.  As the boss, they looked over the applications and interviewed prospective employees.  The interviews were given in front of the class so they could see how others did and provide and get feedback.

I was very impressed by my students’ ingenuity in creating their businesses, and enjoyed seeing them help each other by giving positive feedback during the interview portion of the project.

Students said they enjoyed the exercise too.

“It helped me get more comfortable answering interview questions. I appreciated the critiquing so I can work on what I did wrong,” Alex Strevel said.

“I enjoyed this project because I want to own my own tattoo parlor one day,” Jordan Hernandez said.  “This made me really think about what type of employee I would want to hire in the future.”

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