ETA News Release: [July 13, 2006]
Contact Name: Mike Volpe David James
Phone Number: (202) 693-3984 (202) 693-4676
Youth Achievement Program Receives Recognition of Excellence Honor
Third Annual Awards Presented at Workforce Innovations 2006 in Anaheim, Calif.
DECATUR, Ga. - The Youth Achievement Program (YAP) received the top Recognition of Excellence (ROE) honor in the "Serving Out-of-School Youth" category at the Workforce Innovations 2006 Conference in Anaheim, Calif. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco presented the third annual ROE honors, which recognize job training programs from around the nation that have achieved outstanding success.
"Recognition of Excellence honorees are proof of the workforce system's capacity to develop new and innovative approaches for preparing workers to compete in the global economy," said DeRocco. "Every year, ROE honorees offer examples of education and job training programs that meet the needs of local and regional economies, and can be replicated throughout the country."
The Employment and Training Administration presents ROE honors in five categories. The "Serving Out-of-School Youth" category recognizes innovative techniques and collaboration with 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.
DeKalb County's YAP is a comprehensive year-round program serving 125 out-of-school, court-involved youth. YAP participants often come from the foster care system or are expelled from school. YAP's goals are to reduce the number of youth in the criminal justice system and to assist ex-offenders in becoming productive citizens and responsible adults.
The Decatur-based program offers a variety of services and activities such as peer-to-peer tutoring, team building, recognition celebrations, community service projects and bonuses for successful completion of specific activities. The aim is to keep youth involved and committed to the program. YAP's performance outcomes consistently exceed federal standards in skill attainment, Graduate Equivalent Degree attainment, retention and entered employment rates.
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