Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG), a national organization whose mission is to empower the nation's young people with the skills and support to succeed in education, employment, and life, announced the results for the JAG Class of 2021 across nearly 1,400 locations in 39 states – some of the best in its 41-year history.
JAG tabulated the results after providing JAG high school graduates with 12 months of follow-up support to help ensure their transition into work, post-secondary education, and/or the military. This follow-up support has been one of the hallmarks of JAG and is one of the great keys to our success.
The results for JAG's Class of 2021 include:
- A graduation rate of nearly 96% – (The national average of all 18—19-year-olds is below 84%.)
- A Jobs rate of nearly 65%, and the full-time jobs rate was nearly 83% – both the highest in JAG's history.
- An Unemployment of 6.25%, while the rate for all 18–19-year-olds was 10.4% – about 40% lower.
- JAG boosted its post-secondary education rate from 40.5% for the Class of 2020 to a remarkable 46.55% for the Class of 2021. For reference, the national enrollment rates decreased by 10–15% for the second year in a row while ours increased by nearly 15%.
For youth of color, the success rates of JAG students were dramatically higher than those of their non‑JAG counterparts in the same categories of 18–19‑year‑olds. JAG graduates with disabilities had similar success rates.
Reflecting the value and impact of JAG in their states, fourteen Governors serve on JAG's bipartisan National Board of Directors (more Governors than on any other board in the country). Serving with them are a dozen C-suite executives of the Fortune 500 and national community, organizational, and educational leaders.
Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana, Chair of the JAG National Board of Directors, highlighted the results as “…some of the best results in the 41-year history of the organization – and most impressively, they were accomplished in one of the most difficult school years the nation has ever faced. The results for the Class of 2021 after our 12 months of support were consistent with the results for the Class of 2020 and the 40+ years JAG has been in operation. In Louisiana, we are further expanding the program in light of these results. JAG-Louisiana is in 165 schools now. This program has positively affected our state's overall graduation rates and has helped young Louisianans take advantage of some of the extraordinary opportunities for great jobs and careers that are now available in Louisiana. We need every one of our young people to join our economy.”
JAG's Vice Chair, Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa, stressed, “Over the last two years, JAG has delivered when it was needed most. In light of its extraordinary success, the program in Iowa is expanding dramatically from its current 100 locations to 150 schools in the coming year, and we plan to grow by 300-350 more in the years ahead. With results like these in Iowa and across the country, it's clear why this organization has enjoyed such strong bipartisan support for all of its four decades.”
The high employment rate for JAG students, as well as its full-time jobs rate, reflects the confidence that the 19,000 employers who work with JAG have in the preparations its students receive. Students master 37 Employability Skills that enable them to meet or exceed the requirements employers have told JAG are most crucial to have.
Employers hire JAG high school students as well as students participating in its 120 Out-of-School programs. The Out-of-School programs serve high school dropouts and system-involved young adults aged 16-24, to help ensure their success in attaining their employment goals, and support those who need to complete their high school educations – and, if desired, gain a skill for a better-quality job.
JAG's National Board has adopted an aggressive strategy – Youth Opportunities and Outcomes 2024 – with four priorities: 1) Invest in the JAG Network; 2) Serve More Young People; 3) Tell the JAG Story; and 4) Increase Outcomes through Enhanced Services. Major goals include to double the scale of the organization in order to meet the needs of youth and young adults across the country, while simultaneously enhancing services to include dual enrollment opportunities and securing credentials that “matter” in the communities where our students live, so they secure a better-than-entry-level job upon exiting the program.
Based on the program's success, JAG projects the addition of 200 new schools/cohorts of youth and students to be part of the JAG organization in the school year beginning July 1, with additional growth expected on January 1.
For more information contact Janelle Duray, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer: janelle.duray@jag.org or Sam Amsterdam, Senior Vice President for Communications and Positioning: Samuel.Amsterdam@sp2lc.com .
ABOUT JAG: The JAG National Network has a footprint across nearly 1,400 communities in 39 states and will reach 75,000 youth in school year 2022-23. For more information, visit https://jag.org.
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