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.

Apr
2

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Automotive Technology at New Horizons

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The real-world educational and workplace demands of automotive technology were the topic of discussion last month at New Horizons in New Haven.

JAG Specialist Courtney Sak recruited Laurence Eiden of Gateway Community College to address her students about his courses and the field.

“The students were very interested. One came up to me afterwards and said he’d like to enroll at Gateway,” Ms. Sak said later.

Guest speakers and career exploration are a core element of Jobs for America’s Graduates. Specialists work with students not only as teachers but as counselors and job developers.

Connecticut became the 32nd state to offer JAG in 2014, and launched in New Horizons and four other schools this January.

Mar
4

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Hartford Consortium Gets $200K Grant To Support Student Programs

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Congratulations to JAG CT’s parent organization, the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, on being honored by the Bank of America with its Neighborhood Builders Award!

According to The Hartford Courant:

“The two-year grant, part of the bank’s Neighborhood Builders program for nonprofits, will support Career Beginnings, a college access initiative, and give a boost to Jr. Apprentice, a job training program in its second year at Bulkeley High School that offers paid work experience to about 15 to 20 students, said Martin Estey, the consortium’s executive director.

“The grant will also be used to commission an economic impact study of those two programs to show ‘our return on investment,’ Estey said Tuesday. ‘Young people who go to college defer childbirth, they are less involved with the criminal justice system, they have more earning potential.’

“The consortium, which is composed of colleges and universities in the Hartford region, was honored by Bank of America at a reception Tuesday night at the Bushnell.”

Click here for the full story from the Courant.HartfordConsortium-logo

Feb
24

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New Britain Mayor Visits NBHSSCA JAG

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Mayor Erin Stewart, who has gained supporters from all parties with her informative social media presence and a picture she took of herself with President Obama, visited the NBHSSCA JAG last week, offering tips on education, career planning – and the best way to take a selfie.

She also fielded questions about education, her work day, jobs for teenagers, and moving ahead in your career.

“I went to New Britain Schools and CCSU, and worked the whole way through and did a lot of internships,” she said. “I had a job at the Capitol that I quit to run for Mayor. There was no guarantee I would win, but I felt that strongly about it.

“Sometimes you have to take chances,” she added. “No one will do it fr you.”

For years she worked waitressing, which, she said, taught her how to deal with all kinds of people and with difficult people.

Now, she works 13 hour days, she added. “It’s not just a job. It’s a calling.”

She also encouraged students to register to vote and get involved.

At 27, Stewart is the youngest Mayor in the country. After advising students about professional appearance, the importance of volunteering, and career opportunities with the town, she took a series of selfies and pictures with students. “Hold the camera up here,” she advised. “It makes the ladies look slimmer.”

A final picture was with JAG Specialist Ron Cannada (left) and NBHSSCA Principal Mike Foran, who was also Mayor Stewart’s principal when she was in middle school. P1000727

 

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