Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) is a state-based national non-profit, working with young people who are most at-risk. In more than three decades of operation, JAG brings consistent, compelling results, helping students stay in school through graduation, pursue post-secondary education and secure quality employment and sustaining jobs and careers.
  • Youth unemployment is at a record high, especially for urban and minority teenagers, and we know this impacts their lifetime earnings and prospects. Yet at the same time, AT&T and other businesses are struggling to find workers who have the mindset, habits, and skills to help us succeed. Click here for the full article.CTNJ 5 7 16

  • neysha flores

    Looking for more JAG workers!

    Like many Connecticut employers, Neysha Flores, above, a vendor services supervisor with National Waste Associates of Glastonbury, is continually looking for workers who are smart, willing and able to learn, and who have the good work habits to fit in and help her company.

    In JAG, Neysha found a great worker, and she would like to find more.

    “Rossana came to us without any business experience, but she impressed us from the first interview, and she has gone on to learn many different elements of our business,” Neysha said, of Rossana Bustamonte, a Manchester High School JAG student she hired six months ago.

    “When she interviewed with us she was well-spoken and outgoing and made a very good impression. She’s doing a really good job, handling everything from cold-calling new vendors to dealing with emergency situations and different types of contracts.

    “She is a good fit for us,” Neysha continued. “I would definitely hire another JAG student in the future.”

  • Design Thinking: JAG’s Strength and Effectiveness

    "My support for JAG is also that it is not an adjunct program; it is really built into the school day.

    "The strength of this program… is designing backwards from what we want graduates to look like in the end. Working with industry the message is consistently same: They want graduates that think and can problem solve and have the habits of mind to be part of an organization. The JAG Program, and schools that have that focus built in as part of their day, are better able to achieve this. The JAG program really focuses on teaching explicitly those soft skills and what we call habits of mind . You don’t always find that in conventional education."

    ~Steve Pynn. JAG CT Advisory Board member

    "Having been in education for a long time, I have never had a role like this, and it’s very rewarding."

    ~Justine Meyer, Lead JAG CT and Manchester High Specialist

    Excerpts from MetroHartford Alliance's Pulse of the Region, November 21, 2015

  • Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) is a state-based national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing dropouts among young people who are most at-risk. In more than three decades of operation, JAG has delivered consistent, compelling results – helping nearly a million young people stay in school through graduation, pursue post-secondary education and secure quality entry-level jobs leading to career advancement opportunities.

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JAG CT on Windham Community Access

JAG CT is pleased to be launching a program this fall at Windham Middle School!

Lead Specialist Emily Carver appeared recently on Windham Community Access TV to promote the program, with her student Savina Hollingsworth, who graduated last month from New Britain High School.

“JAG was different from any other class I’d ever experienced,” Savina said. “I felt like I mattered, like I was pursuing something for myself.

“Before, when I had a problem with a teacher I would ignore it,” she added. “After getting to know Ms. Carver, and seeing a teacher that cared, I was able to approach other teachers and talk about problems and work them out.”

Thanks to the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut for its generous support for the Windham program. Dr. Martin Estey of the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education and Teresa Nieves of the United Way also appeared on the program, describing its model elements, such as 12 months of follow up and the student-led Career Association.

Click here for the full video segment. .

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Hats off to N.B.H.S. JAG Graduates!

What a year for New Britain High School JAG seniors! From the amount of energy put in to staying after school to raise an algebra grade, to the tireless nights getting homework completed after working all evening ….YOU DID IT! Achieving a high school diploma is not an effortless task. It takes determination and perseverance: two things that can’t be taught in a class and something that each student was wired with.

Grad Kobi 2                    Grad Kim and Savina

(Graduate Kobi Hamilton)                           (Graduates Kim Harris & Izabella Santos)

Grad Kyara

(Graduate Kyara Vargas)

As JAG recently wrapped up its first full year at New Britain High School, all of the participants can confidently say they are moving on to their next chapter more college and career ready after mastering JAG’s 37 personal development and career competencies. Through the elective course, students gained the tools needed to be successful through group work in a class environment, with hands-on experience in the New Britain community through volunteer opportunities, and by performing mock interviews on numerous occasions.

Congratulations to all JAG graduates!!!

Grad Savina and Morgan

(Graduates Savina Hollingsworth & Morgan Mack)

Grad Day & Dey

(Dayon Hamilton, JAG specialist & Deybrion Hamilton)

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“Take Back the Streets!”

New Britain’s annual “Take Back the Streets” anti-violence rally attracted a great crowd at Walnut Hill Park last Saturday. The rally had over 1,000 attendees! With the efforts of community agencies and programs, such as Opportunities Industrialization Centers, New Britain Parks and Recreation, Pathways/Senderos and Jobs for America’s Graduates, we all came together to help create and maintain positive relationships between law enforcement and our city’s youth.rally 1

New Britain High School JAG participants wanted to help spread the peace. As a project created in the student-led Career Association, JAG students promoted the cause by selling purple anti-violence ribbons, ti-dyed purple shirts and ran a booth on the day of the event. The students created a banner that stated, “Come up with a resolution, violence is never the solution.” Guests of the event who stopped by JAG’s table pledged to be non-violent by adding their painted purple handprint to the banner. Purple was the theme color because it is the color that nationally represents non-violence.

 

rally 2

In the above picture are New Britain Board of Education members Sharon Beloin-Saavedra and Daisy Sanchez making their pledge! Thank you for your support!

Student volunteers included Quandaysha Shumpert, Morgan Mack, Kyara Vargas, Thalia Rodriguez, Savina Hollingsworth, Jimmy Vega-Nelson, Samantha Kilduff, and Myleisha Ortiz.

Anti-violence rally banner rally 4