National Skills Summit

National Skills Summit
Innovative Initiatives: Targeted Populations

Turner Jobs Corps Center and Albany State University: EXPECTS SUCCESS

The Challenge:

To provide young people with the combination of vocational skills, computer literacy, and opportunities for higher education necessary to achieve long-term employment.

The Solution:

Develop partnerships between training, educational, and business institutions so that young people can receive all of the resources they need in one program.

The Partners:

Turner Job Corps Center, one of the largest Job Corps centers in the United States, provides employment, vocational, academic, and social skills training to disadvantaged youth ages 16 to 24.

Albany State University (ASU), located in Albany, Georgia, offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs and community outreach. It offers special admission opportunities to Job Corps members.

Proctor and Gamble, a major consumer product manufacturer, and Bank of America, a national financial institution, simplify their application process for EXPECTS SUCCESS graduates.

The Story:

Albany State University developed the EXPECTS SUCCESS program to help young students and unemployed youth gain long-term employment, higher entry-level wages, and life skills training. The program serves 300 rural youth and young adults between the ages of 14 and 21 each year. In addition to middle and high school students, this innovative program serves young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 from Turner Job Corps Center in an on-campus computer technology laboratory. A mobile computer technology laboratory serves youth in rural Southwest Georgia counties who otherwise would not have an opportunity to become computer-proficient. The Georgia Department of Labor funds this three-year pilot program.

Anthony Parker, a 20-year-old student and worker, is currently enrolled in the EXPECTS SUCCESS program at the Turner Job Corps Center. Since joining this program, Anthony has earned his GED, trained as a welder, acquired a Microsoft proficiency certificate, and obtained employment at Albany State University as an office worker. Thanks to Job Corps' partnership with Albany State University, which streamlines its application process for Job Corps students, Anthony is currently in the process of completing his admissions requirements for ASU.

Albany State University's five-week Microsoft Office certificate training program is offered in four sessions throughout the year. To date, the program has trained two classes for a total of 30 graduates. An additional 30 students are currently enrolled in the third session. Two corporations - Procter & Gamble and Bank of America - have streamlined their application process to graduates. After graduation, students are assigned to work-based learning sites for further on-the-job training and are then eligible for possible employment at the assigned sites.

The EXPECTS SUCCESS program offers young people additional benefits: 7.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs), and eligibility for scholarships to continue their education.

A Model of Innovation:

This program combines the best of the Job Corps Center and the local higher education system's resources to help disadvantaged young people. Students have up to three years to learn about possible job options, develop new skills, and get on-the-job training.

Contacts:

Jim Linday, Acting Director
Turner Job Corps Center
2000 Schilling Ave.
Albany, GA 31705-1524
912-432-1178 (p)
912-434-0383 (f)

Dr. Carolyn Williams,
Director, EXPECTS SUCCESS
Albany State University
504 College Dr.
Albany, GA 31705
912-430-4606 (p)
912-430-1606 (f)

Dr. Portia H. Shields, President
Albany State University
504 College Dr.
Albany, GA 31705
912-430-4605 (p)
912-430-3836 (f)