Organizational example:
Capital IDEA
Organization/Program |
Capital IDEA |
Program Purpose |
To enable unemployed and underemployed adults to attend college full time, in preparation for high-value, high-demand occupations. |
Program Description |
A partnership between the non-profit organization Capital IDEA, Austin Community College, and local workforce investment boards provides long-term counseling, education, and support services to adults with family responsibilities and reading levels as low as fifth grade. The program pays for tuition, fees, books, child care, case management, emergency assistance, and transportation. It also provides counseling, mentoring, tutoring, and job search and post-placement support. Throughout the program, participants meet weekly with their peers and a career counselor, with a focus on case management, mutual support, counseling, study skills, financial management, parenting skills, and problem solving and critical thinking skills. These meetings are a primary strategy to support retention and persistence. |
Progress |
Program graduates who entered employment in 2005 were earning an average of $29,744 a year, almost triple their average pre-program earnings of $11,491. Participants also graduate at nearly twice the rate of Austin Community College students who do not receive the supports the program provides. |
Contact Information |
Steven Jackobs |
Information from Steven Jackobs at Capital IDEA, and from Liebowitz & Taylor, 2004.