Y.O.U.’s Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates program, offered in 11 area high schools across Northeast Ohio, focuses on employability skills, career development, and leadership skills. JOG helps teens with significant barriers to graduation get on a path to post-secondary success through either permanent employment, college, credential training, or joining the military.

The course teaches the evidence-based Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) curriculum and also utilizes BrainWise, a research-based curriculum designed to help youth build essential emotional, social, and cognitive skills to help them make good decisions and take control of their lives.

In July, JAG recognized JOG for achieving the prestigious “5 of 5 Award” for the Class of 2017. Y.O.U. is extremely proud of the Career Coaches – Y.O.U. staff who teach the program – and our youth for achieving this national recognition.

To earn this award, Y.O.U.’s JOG program met the following five criteria:

• Student graduation rate above 90 percent

• Positive outcomes rate above 80 percent

• Employment rate above 60 percent

• Full-time jobs rate above 60 percent

• Full-time placement rate above 80 percent

The key to JOG’s success is the relationships between Career Coaches and students. Career Coaches help remove barriers that could prevent teens from achieving positive outcomes, and they provide support and guidance for a year or more following their classroom experience.

Congratulations to all of our JOG program staff and especially to our teens who work hard to make thriving futures for themselves!