In 2020, Newark Opportunity Youth Network (NOYN) established the Newark Youth Workforce Collaborative to align programming and resources with other youth-serving organizations in Newark, NJ. While Newark has made great strides in training youth, the city’s youth workforce system is fragmented and operated in silos, especially for in-school youth. To address this situation, NOYN contracted with the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the youth workforce development system within New Jersey.
A new report from the Heldrich Center and NOYN provides the results of this study. The report examines the development of New Jersey’s youth workforce system since the implementation of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, including available funding for youth workforce development and the programs currently serving youth in New Jersey. It also reviews the systemic and financial realities that have impeded a more collaborative approach to helping opportunity youth. Finally, the report offers recommendations from local and national experts to improve youth workforce development in New Jersey.
The report was written by Heldrich Center researchers Jimmy Green, Senior Project Manager; Brittney Donovan, Research Project Assistant; and Marjory Palius, Ed.D., Senior Project Manager.