YouthForce NOLA, Partners Generate Nearly $1M for Career Connected Learning

With support from YouthForce NOLA and NOLA Public Schools, New Orleans public schools have generated close to $1 million in additional funds for Career and Technical Education (CTE). These programs prepare students with the technical skills, soft skills, networks, and work experience they need to thrive after graduation.

“The additional funds will go a long way to increase the number of young people who benefit from CTE, which increases their likelihood of graduating, enrolling in college, and earning higher wages,” said Cate Swinburn, the president of YouthForce NOLA, an education, business, and civic collaborative that prepares New Orleans open-enrollment public school students for successful pursuit of high-wage, high-demand career pathways. “We are grateful to NOLA Public Schools and the Louisiana Department of Education for partnering with us to develop creative solutions to help our young people thrive.”

The $1 million in additional funding is the result of a joint effort between YouthForce NOLA and NOLA Public Schools to identify public funding sources that schools could leverage to offer additional CTE courses and allow greater numbers of students to participate in technical training. The effort evolved last year into a formal working group that also includes the Louisiana Department of Education.

“We’re looking at student success beyond just graduation, and that is why we’re emphasizing CTE as part of the K-12 curriculum,” said [NAME] of NOLA Public Schools. “We are pleased to have helped schools generate significant funds to offer more courses that will prepare our young people for life after high school. Whether our graduates choose to enter directly into a high-wage career pathway or college, they will be better prepared to succeed having participated in CTE training.”

This achievement is the result of YouthForce NOLA’s policy work to create a system that ensures New Orleans public school graduates thrive economically and are the most sought after talent in the region’s high-wage career pathways. NOLA-PS played a leading role in identifying and creating a scheme to access the $1 million, and it was the individual public schools that did the hard work to claim the funds and create additional CTE opportunities for their students.