Workforce Alliance to Support Local High School Graduation Initiative

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 24, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Workforce Alliance is among several Palm Beach County organizations that established partnerships with the Palm Beach County School District to help carry out a comprehensive federally-funded program to improve graduation rates.  The School District recently received a grant of approximately $8 million from the U.S. Department of Education to fund a special program to increase the graduation rates at four high schools having drop-out rates that exceed the state average.

Workforce Alliance will contribute to the program by providing an array of services, including a six-week career preparation course delivered by "Career Navigators."  The course is designed to be given to seventy students per school year in groups of ten students at a time at each of the selected high schools.

The initial stages of the career preparation course will include elements of a career exploration process:

• Assessments – to determine each individual's aptitudes and interests;
• Local labor market information – to recognize the needs of local employers;
• Guidance toward post-secondary educational and training opportunities; and
• Individualized mentoring and career planning.

The program includes a work readiness process that will link each participant's high school education to employable skills training and real-world experiences that are focused on the skills identified by employers as critical to job placement and retention.  It will include a post-graduation connection to the full range of job-seeker, training and employment services available at Workforce Alliance's three Palm Beach County Career Centers.

The innovative program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education for a five-year period with sufficient resources for the career preparation course for a total of 1,400 students over the life of the grant, and a five-year cost of approximately $1.39 million.  

The benefits of the program include the potential of a considerable increase in the graduation rates at the four high schools, a major contribution to the economy of Palm Beach County and a better and more productive workforce for the future.

Workforce Alliance, Inc. is the organization chartered by the State of Florida to create, develop and retain a quality workforce system in Palm Beach County.  It operates three Career Centers and two Professional Placement Centers and offers professional services to all employers and job seekers in the County. The Career Centers are located in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Belle Glade with the addresses and phone numbers listed on the website, www.pbcalliance.com.

SOURCE Workforce Alliance