Coalition Calls for Series of State Actions to Help Disconnected Youth Get Back-On-Track

A growing coalition of organizations working with severely disengaged and disconnected youth in Connecticut has shared a series of recommendations with state policymakers to address what has been described as an “unspoken crisis” – the 119,000 youth, age 14-26, in need of guidance and support to get back on track, at a time when Connecticut businesses have tens of thousands of unfilled jobs.

Photo byShutterstock image

Known as Opportunity Youth, they live in every municipality in Connecticut – rural, urban and suburban – and success in breaking the status quo requires comprehensive, statewide action.

Public investment in disconnected youth is essential to promote economic growth and social equity and prepare the next generation of workers for a rapidly changing job market, according to the Campaign for Working Connecticut, which is powered by United Way of Connecticut. Data published in a Dalio Education report indicates that each year in Connecticut, 10,000 new young people are falling into being disconnected from work or school.

The recommended actions outlined in the Campaign for Working Connecticut’s policy agenda are driven by the reality that “Connecticut has no time to lose. The cost of youth disengaging from or never entering services is too steep.”

Prioritized Areas for State Action

The coalition has prioritized two areas for state action:

• maximizing revenues available from unutilized federal funding that could be targeted to support workforce services for disconnected youth and
• expanding the use of data across private and public providers to better serve young people.

In addition, the coalition proposes three key areas for state investment this legislative session, which form the foundation of asystemic response that can be fueled by federal, state, philanthropic and business support.

1. Career-Based Education and Training: Allocate additional state funding to pilot specialized remedial education, contextualized learning and work readiness through community-based and Adult Education providers to implement evidence-based services to disconnected youth essential for careers in high-demand industries.

2. Youth Career Navigation and Social Supports: Invest in “relentless” outreach to identify and engage youth in services and to remove barriers to job training, education, wellness and employment.

3. Subsidized Employment: Invest in supported employment for in-demand careers that meet the immediate needs of young people to earn income while gaining “safe” work experiences and the needs of Connecticut employers seeking to fill positions.

Currently, there is negligible dedicated funding from the state of Connecticut to support these services. The economic benefits of supporting disconnected young people to get back on track were highlighted in the report, “Connecticut’s Unspoken Crisis,” published by Dalio Education: a successful state initiative could help fill a large portion of the Connecticut labor market’s 90,000 unfilled jobs and boost Connecticut’s GDP by an estimated $5 billion.

Opportunity Youth Initiative coalition

An initial statewide investment of $50 million would launch Connecticut’s ability to serve disconnected youth at scale – engaging 5,000 young people in career pathways in year one while building the foundation for an effective, coordinated statewide response, according to the coalition.

Supported by the Campaign for Working Connecticut, the Opportunity Youth Initiative members include: Capital Workforce Partners, COMPASS Youth Collaborative, CT Association of Adult & Continuing Education, Domus Kids, EASTCONN, EMERGE CT, Greenwich United Way, Love146, National Youth Employment Coalition, New Haven Violence Intervention, Norwalk Acts, Our Piece of the Pie, Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP), United Way of Central & Northeastern CT, United Way of Coastal and Western CT, United Way of Connecticut, United Way of Greater Waterbury, United Way of Southeastern CT, Youth Business Initiative. In addition, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) and Connecticut Conference of Municipalities are among the organizations supportive of state action on the issue.