Current Information

Intake for all programs was completed on Monday, May 24.
Applicants who attended Intake and are eligible for the program will be contacted directly about their program assignments by a YouthWorks Indy Coach from River Valley Resources.
Program orientation will now occur on the first day of Work Readiness.

Program Description

YouthWorks Indy 2010 (YWI) is a summer enrichment program in Marion County, providing education, paid work experience, work-readiness training, educational stipends, and educational credit, credential or gain for up to 600 low-income youth and young adults.

YWI engages Indianapolis youth in activities that help to close education gaps, develop basic job-getting skills, and earn money. The goal of the Summer Enrichment Program is to prepare our youth and young adults for their roles as employees in the workplace of the future. Program objectives are to:
1. Provide paid work experience that allows for career exploration, on-the-job training and employer mentoring;
2. Provide education that offers gateways/pathways to further academic preparation, credentials, additional Workforce Investment Act (WIA) services and employment opportunities; and
3. Provide work readiness that is measurable and performance based.

Participants will receive a $50 per day stipend for each day of work readiness and education, and will be paid $8.50 per hour for the work experience. In addition, each participant will be eligible for a monetary incentive payment if they successfully complete the program, based on their work readiness and educational achievements as evaluated by their education/training provider and employer.

Participant Eligibility & Enrollment

The program is open to residents of Marion County who are ages 16-24, currently enrolled in high school, a high school graduate or equivalent, or out-of-school in need of a GED. To be eligible to participate in YWI, youth and young adults must meet the WIA/ARRA youth eligibility criteria. Specifically, eligible participants must:
• Be a resident of Marion County
• Be between the ages of 16 and 24 on June 1, 2010
• Be considered economically disadvantaged
• Have a barrier to employment
• Be eligible to work in the United States (including work permits for youth younger than 18 years of age)
• Have parental permission (for youth younger than 18 years of age)
• Be, as appropriate, registered with the United States Selected Service
• Be able to commit to eight hour days, five days a week for the length of the appropriate program track
• Agree to participate in all three components of YWI - education, work readiness and work experience

When there are more eligible and qualified applicants than there are openings for the program, a "priority of service" will be used to select candidates for the program. The priority of service will include:
• Veterans (past or present)
• STEMWorks Indiana participants
• Present, 2009 graduates or Fall 2010 enrolling Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) participants
• Current WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker or Youth participants
• Youth Employment Services (YES) participants

To enroll in YWI you must:
1. Complete the online application before April 30
2. Review the checklist of documentation and information required for intake
3. Bring all required documentation and information to the intake session for the track and program to which you are applying

Program Tracks

YWI will serve eligible in-school and out-of-school youth and young adults with three different program tracks. Again, each track contains the three components - work readiness, education and work experience.

In-school Enrichment Program Track

The in-school track is available to youth who are still in high school as of June 1 and want to earn high school credits in intensive language arts, English, science and/or mathematics toward graduation. Two programs will be offered in the in-school track:

Indianapolis Public Schools will enroll up to 240 participants by offering remedial and credit classes in English and Language Arts at George Washington Community and Broad Ripple high schools.
 
Indianapolis Metropolitan High School will enroll 60 in-school youth who are enrolled in the Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) program by offering remedial and for-credit instruction in Algebra II, Geometry, and English II.

The programs in this track are seven weeks long - one week of work readiness, three weeks of education and three weeks of work experience. Participants in this track will attend the program according to one of the following models: 

Out-of-School GED Enrichment Program

The GED track offers accelerated learning and for young adults who do not have a high school diploma and want to obtain a General Equivalency Degree (GED). One program will be offered in the GED track:

The Metropolitan School District of Washington Township will enroll up to 140 out-of-school youth preparing for a GED and will offer instruction at Northview Middle School or one of two Ivy Tech Community College-Central Indiana campuses. Participants will receive 160 hours of instruction at community and continuing education sites, after which they may take the GED test. 

The program in this track is eight weeks long - one week of work readiness, four weeks of education and three weeks of work experience.

In- or Out-of-School High-Growth Industry Enrichment Program

The industry track offers recognized training, credentialing and/or college credits and work experience in high-demand industries in Marion County. The industries explored in this track include healthcare for in-school youth; information technology (IT) for out-of-school youth with a high school diploma or GED; and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for both in-school and recently graduated out-of-school youth. Three programs will be offered in the industry track, each varies in length and format:

Metropolitan Indianapolis Central Indiana Area Health Education Center (MICI-AHEC) will enroll 60 (two classes of 30) in-school youth, offering education and certifications in CPR, first aid, and Health Insurance and Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) and work experience at medical/healthcare sites. 

This program is five weeks long - one week of work readiness and four weeks of education and work experience combined weekly.

STEM Club at IUPUI will enroll 60 in-school juniors and seniors and recently graduated out-of-school youth, offering an organizational behavior class equivalent to three college credits and exposure to STEM-related occupations through educational workshops and work experience.

This program is seven weeks long - one week of work readiness and six weeks of education and work experience combined weekly.

IA Services will enroll 30 out-of-school youth in technical training, offering certifications in print/copier maintenance, fiber installation, and an A+ certificate with on-the-job work experience at local IT firms. 

This program is nine weeks long - one week of work readiness and eight weeks of education and work experience combined weekly.

 For more information on YouthWorks Indy 2009, click here.