KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Workforce Connections Inc. in La Crosse, Wis., today received the U.S. Department of Labor’s Recognition of Excellence award in the “Serving Out-of-School Youth” category at the national 2007 Workforce Innovations Conference being held in Kansas City. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco presented the fourth annual honors, which recognize workforce investment system programs from around the country that have achieved outstanding success.
“Our honorees have shown that they are innovative leaders in providing workers with the opportunities and tools to help them compete in today’s global economy,” said DeRocco. “Their outstanding work serves as a model for others to learn from and apply to their own regional economic and talent development strategies.”
Workforce Connections Inc. created the X-Treme Opportunity program to offer occupational training for youth offenders and to meet the challenges of an aging workforce and skilled worker shortages in regional industries. Pairing youth adjudicated through the adult justice system with the manufacturing, construction, and health care industries, X-Treme Opportunity provides job preparation, life skills and occupational training in correctional facilities and community-based programs.
Additional services include workshops on parenting, relationships and nutrition for young women and behavioral counseling and parenting classes for young men. Participants also were provided with “youth coach” case managers who ensured services were provided effectively.
Over a two-year period, the program made connections with nearly 400 youth, with 93 percent enrolling and only a six percent recidivism rate, and 77 high growth employers participating.
The Employment and Training Administration presents Recognition of Excellence honors in five categories. The “Serving Out-of-School Youth” category recognizes innovative techniques and collaborations with educators, businesses, industry and essential partners in workforce and economic development to solve the education, training and hiring challenges of serving out-of-school young adults.
The Workforce Innovations Conference provides an annual opportunity for state and local government representatives, private sector workforce and economic development officials, and educators to collaborate on workforce issues.
