Jobs for Montana’s Graduates Program Recognized Nationally for Third Year in a Row.
| August 22, 2008 |  View for printing |
Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) announced the Jobs for Montana’s Graduates http://montana.jag.org/about_us.htm (JMG) program achieved the “5 for 5” Award in national performance outcomes for the third year. JMG began in 1990 as a program to help students remain in school and to teach the students skills to successfully transition into the workforce. “The JMG goal is for students to secure a quality job or post-secondary education that leads to a meaningful career. We believe the best way to achieve this objective is to keep students in school and to improve their success in the workforce by helping them acquire employability skills before leaving high school. Students are selected for the program because they have barriers to successful completion of high school and job entry,” said State Director Drea Brown. “The program is aimed at meeting their academic, social and cultural needs.”
In school year 2006-2007, JMG hosted 602 students in 38 schools and had an overall graduation success rate of 94.15 percent. After one year, 95% the JMG graduates were positively engaged in employment, post-secondary education or the military.
In 2006-2007, JMG supported a network of 38 programs offering 602 students the potential for future career development by focusing on staying in school and finding a career path suited to their interests and abilities. JAG, serving 30 states, established five performance outcomes for students enrolled in the program. The standards include graduation rate, positive outcomes of transitioning to work, post secondary education, or military, and full-time job placements.
Native American students enter the program with 4.5 barriers to success including: excessive absences, inadequate or no work experience, residing in economically disadvantaged conditions, low academic performance and lacking marketable occupational skills. Seven of the 38 programs offered are located on or border four of Montana’s Indian reservations and serve 119 native youth. The graduation rate for Indian students is 91.04% with an 87% positive outcome after 1 year.
JMG is now offering a middle school program. For the 2008-2009 school year, JMG will be in 40 high schools, 10 middle schools and the Youth Challenge program. To learn more about the Jobs for Montana Graduates program contact Drea Brown (406) 444-0978. 
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