Education and Workforce Development
Education and career readiness are key to helping young people build stable futures, achieve independence, and break cycles of homelessness and human trafficking.
Education and Employment Services Help Young People Achieve Stability and Independence
Statistics from last year across all Covenant House sites show just how vital education and employment services are.
Young people enrolled or remained in school.
Young people gained or maintained employment.
Young people obtained a high school diploma or equivalency.
How Education Helps Young People Overcome Homelessness
A national survey conducted by Chapin Hall found that not completing high school is the greatest single risk factor associated with experiencing unaccompanied homelessness as a young person.
48% of youth experiencing homelessness are disconnected from school or work, compared to 13% in the general population.
Young people arrive at Covenant House with dreams that have been disrupted by homelessness. Advancing educationally and preparing for the world of work are key to a young person’s prospects for leaving homelessness behind.
Also key to breaking the cycle of homelessness and trafficking are education and career readiness. Yet, when young people arrive at Covenant House, only 55% have a high school diploma or GED and 77% are unemployed.
Either directly or through referral, we guide youth to appropriate educational and vocational opportunities, matching each young person’s strengths and abilities with their interests.
How Job Training and Career Development Help Youth Exit Homelessness
Our workforce development programs help young people build the skills, experience, and confidence needed to enter today's workforce, achieve financial stability, and sustainably exit homelessness.
Our employment services include job readiness training, career coaching, resume development, interview preparation, and employment placement support. Through career pathways programs, youth prepare for careers that offer a livable wage, opportunities for advancement, and long-term economic mobility.
Finding meaningful employment with a living wage and opportunities for professional growth is critical to lasting stability and independence.
“It was the first time I’d ever had training that could take me to an actual career rather than a minimum-wage job. It made me feel like I had worth, like I could actually lead a regular stable life.”
—Dajon, Covenant House Georgia AlumniOur Workforce Development Initiative With Accenture
Since 2012, we have worked closely with Accenture, one of our corporate partners, to standardize our workforce development programs. We’ve gradually integrated their Skills to Succeed workforce readiness and job-skilling curriculum at Covenant House sites in the U.S. and Canada.
Leveraging the insights and research from Accenture’s Inclusive Future of Work report, we began creating skill-building solutions for our youth whose jobs face a high risk of disruption from automation. In response to this challenge, in December 2020, we inaugurated a strategic workforce development initiative and began leading a coordinated approach to meet these challenges. The onset of the pandemic, and the resultant volatility and transformation of the job market and workplace, only increased the urgency of our efforts.
Building Career Pathways for Young People
We recently launched a multi-year education and workforce development plan, designed to help young people overcoming homelessness break into the workforce and into long-term self-sufficiency and sustainability. Through our collaboration with thought leaders and partners, including youth participating in our programs, we are jointly creating a strategic program model that will lead to improved employment opportunities and outcomes for our young people. This new career pathways program includes career training and employment placement, both identifying opportunities and preparing young people overcoming homelessness for jobs that pay a living wage, do not require a college degree, have lower potential for automation, are projected to grow.
The IT sector was selected for years one and two, and we launched the first pilot in January 2022 at seven of our Houses: Alaska, California, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Missouri, and Vancouver. We expanded to 12 cities in 2023.
Our initiative creates a pathway for young people of color to enter a sector that is struggling to diversify its ranks. Youth can earn a professional certificate in approximately six months that can lead to jobs in high-growth fields that pay a living wage. These certifications prepare youth for employment at some of the highest-profile IT companies such as Google and Salesforce. We are working closely with our corporate partners, both locally and nationally, to provide IT internships and career opportunities for young people in the program.
The Impact of Our Workforce Development Programs
Insights from our career pathways programs, workforce development staff, and participating youth help inform future program growth and improvement. Over the next year, we expect to serve more than 3,000 young people through workforce development, career training, and employment programs.
Empower Youth Through Opportunity
Help young people experiencing homelessness access education, job training, and career opportunities that lead to lasting stability, independence, and brighter futures.
