I-JAG" -- Jobs for America's Graduates

Introduction to Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (I-JAG)

The 1999 Report to the Iowa Business Council, the Governor’s 21st Century Workforce Council and the Iowa 2010 Strategic Planning Council identified Iowa’s workforce shortages as the most critical economic issue of the decade, and a significant barrier to economic development. The Iowa Business Council report, Iowa’s Economic Future: People, Knowledge, and Know-How, stated, “many high school graduates trying to find their niches waste valuable years of productive employment.” On the average, the report indicates that there is almost a ten-year gap between high school graduation and continued formal skill development. Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (I-JAG) is a program to specifically reduce the number of students who are at risk of dropping out and help them to become productive youth. I-JAG, Inc. was formed to develop a statewide system of school-to-work transition and dropout prevention for Iowa’s youth facing multiple barriers to success and is modeled after a highly successful, nationally proven program that is currently in 26 states. Following the national JAG model, the work of I-JAG is to:

• Increase graduation rates for students facing multiple barriers to success
• Develop workplace competencies that aid in effective school to life transitions
• Provide 12 months of post-high school follow-up
• Provide individual career planning
• Raise student aspirations
• Teach teamwork; volunteerism and leadership
• Provide extra help for academic success

As the attached data indicates the I-JAG model has proven itself to be an effective way to reduce high dropout rates, improve attendance, increase student GPA, improve graduation rates, and successfully transition students into continued education and work.  These goals have been achieved by reconnecting students to family, school and community through a solid curriculum and a dedicated staff person whose full responsibility is only to the I-JAG students.   Currently I-JAG has served over 2,500 students in partnership with 17 Iowa schools, helping to improve the quality of their education, life choices and workforce competencies. 

Teaching Employability Skills

Through the I-JAG model, students receive approximately 135 hours of classroom instruction, which focus on 37 core competencies per year and up to 81 competencies if students are in the multi-year program.  Perhaps one of the most enduring opportunities for a student enrolled in I-JAG is the Career Association established and managed by the students.  The student-led association provides an opportunity for them to:

• Build self-esteem
• Test leadership skills
• Explore career and educational opportunities. 

Students are charged with electing officers, establishing goals, planning community service projects and fundraising to carry them out, learning to lead and building important social, communication and other group skills.  All are important lessons for the world of work and lifelong learning.  I-JAG Career Association has helped focus learning into meaningful community service initiatives and the I-JAG students have given back to their communities with 20,790 documented volunteer hours to local projects of their choosing. (See appendix A for core competencies)

Connecting Students with Work

The I-JAG curriculum is experience-based. Connecting school-based learning with the world outside the confines of school is part of the continuum of growth each student must begin to master.  They learn to risk and to succeed in environments free of the day-to-day social constraints of their classrooms and schools.  They learn to operate in teams and understand the value of their contribution.  They see the relationship between mastery of physical challenges, and mastery of ideas through reasoning.  For I-JAG students, these experiences often become “touchstones” for personal growth and motivators for attending class, improving their GPA, earning a diploma, and continuing their education and/or entering a quality job in their career field.

Corporate Financial Information

The I-JAG program was established as an independent 501(c) 3 corporation, run by a voluntary board of community, business and education leaders committed to improving the quality of Iowa’s workforce. As a non-profit, the investment of corporate, foundation and individual funds has allowed I-JAG to prove itself as a program deserving of continued investments because it does aid in developing a strong Iowa workforce. 

I-JAG, Inc. has a diverse funding stream and continually works to develop it even further.  The Board of Directors has set a goal for the 2004-05 academic year of raising $160,000 private sector funds through the support of Iowa businesses, securing $400,000 from the legislature and maintaining local commitment contributions.  Through the Boards commitment to continue to develop the financial base of I-JAG, the program will be able to expand beyond the 17 sites.

Terms:

“Students with multiple barriers to success”: Often these students are referred to as “at-risk.”  They are defined as young people meeting any three or more of the following criteria (see appendix B for Barriers to Success): academic barriers; personal barriers, environmental barriers; income and work related barriers.  Our students typically have 5 or more barriers they are facing.  A “typical” student comes from a low income home; has absenteeism problems; has been on probation at least once in the past year; lives with one or neither natural parent; has a mother who is not a high school graduate; is a year behind in school.

Contacts:

Iowa JAG, Inc. Web-site: www.i-jag.net

JAG National Web-site: www.jag.org               

I-JAG President/CEO:        Laurie Phelan, 515-242-5611

Mailing Address:

Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (I-JAG)
Grimes State Office Building, 2nd Floor

I-JAG Data
	Program Results
	Program Participants