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Ready for Work

Bridging Youth Potential with Workforce Needs for Lasting Community Growth in Prince George’s County
Jurisdiction icon
Jurisdiction:
Prince George's County
Issue Area icon
Issue Area:
Boys and Young Men of Color
Career and College Readiness
Partners icon
Partners:
Prince George's County Government | Prince George's County Public Schools | Prince George's County Chamber of Commerce | Greater Prince George's Business Round Table
Dates icon
Dates:
2015-2020
Amount icon
Amount of Investment:
Undisclosed
Opportunity icon
Investment Opportunity:
The effort aimed to bridge education and workforce gaps in Prince George’s County by connecting youth potential with local business needs.
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Ready for Work
Ready for Work's Three-Part Strategy Included:

  • I. Strengthen Career Academies

    • Partner with TFA-DC Region to improve academic achievement
    • Build capacity of career academies to enhance technical skill development and expand enrollment numbers so more students can graduate career- and college-ready

  • II. Expand youthCONNECT

    Students must develop foundational life skills to transition into being successful adults. youthCONNECT is a group of high-performing nonprofits that collaborate with schools to improve students’ readiness for employment and post-secondary education.

  • We worked with PeerForward–National Capital Region (formerly known as College Summit), Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection, Maryland Multicultural Youth Center, Urban Alliance, and Year Up-National Capital Region.

  • The nonprofits we invest in have undergone a rigorous selection process, and they are the best at what they do. These nonprofits coach students on: Developing career goals, Time management, Appropriate behaviors in the work environment, and Applying to college and technical education programs.

  • III. Provide Real Work Experiences

    Students need real work experiences before they graduate. When young people get connected to meaningful job experiences at an early age, they are more likely to be employed and stay employed as adults. We are partnering with business leaders and employers to make certain the skills and competencies students are learning meet employer needs.

Many students are leaving high school not fully prepared for employment and college, while local businesses struggle to hire and retain qualified employees. The heart of the issue is that our youth need to reach their full potential and our businesses need to fill positions with talented and skilled employees.

YI’s high-engagement investment style blends a private equity model for investing with time-proven best practices from foundations and nonprofits. This allows us to help create long-term systematic change. We are working in partnership with Prince George’s County administration, public schools, local business leaders, philanthropy and a number of nonprofit organizations to create a holistic, collaborative, and sustainable strategy.

Our Challenge

Many students are leaving high school not fully prepared for employment and college, while local businesses struggle to hire and retain qualified employees. The heart of the issue is that our youth need to reach their full potential and our businesses need to fill positions with talented and skilled employees.

Quick Facts
  • According to a Job Opportunities Task Force Special Report, only one-quarter of young people (ages 16-19) in Prince George’s County are employed, compared to over one-third of young people statewide.
  • In Prince George’s County, nearly one-quarter of high school students drop out and do not receive a diploma.
  • According to the Center on Education and the Workforce, by 2020, 65 percent of all jobs in the economy will require postsecondary education training beyond high school.
Our Goal

By 2021, we anticipate that 2,775 students at Suitland, Oxon Hill, and High Point high schools will be career- and college-ready, with another 400 graduates in the pipeline every year thereafter.

The Power of Partnership

By working together—leveraging the resources of businesses, philanthropy, nonprofits, and government—our bold vision can be achieved. Preparing our youth to become the experienced talent needed for growing business opportunities in the County is a compelling investment—for our young people, the community and businesses. Collectively we can achieve far more than what any one of us can achieve on our own.

Our Funders
  • YI investors and donors of the Capital Kids Portfolio
  • Prince George’s County Public School System
  • The Peterson Family Foundation
  • Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States
  • The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation
  • The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.
  • Bank of America Private Bank
Relevant Investments
Ready for Work Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative
The Ready for Work Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative - Cohort 1 The Ready for Work Nonprofit Capacity ...
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youthCONNECT
The investment began in 2010 and ended in 2015. youthCONNECT is now a model that YI is adapting in locations ...
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VPP + Raise DC
is now Youth
Invest Partners

In June of 2000, Venture Philanthropy Partners opened it doors,
spurred by the efforts of three founders who asked themselves,

“Could the business world provide a different, innovative
approach to social change?”

In the years that followed, VPP quickly became a strategic hub for high-impact
investments through deep and sustained partnerships with foundations, businesses,
government agencies and school systems.

In April of 2020, VPP formed a strategic alliance with Raise DC to build an investment
organization capable of driving alignment among communities, and nonprofit, business
and regional leaders around systems change. VPP+Raise DC committed to call out and
confront policies, practices and systems that contribute to racial inequity.

Today, we recognize the need to do more, be bolder, and act faster. Youth Invest Partners
is a call to “dream big and do big” to drive change that will build better futures for
Greater Washington youth today and in the days, months and years to come. Our new
name and brand reflects energy and focus as we collaborate, innovate and transform.