Troubled Teens To Get New Chance At Careers

Starting in October, at-risk teens will find it easier to train to become pipefitters or factory workers — and stay in high school in the meantime.

A new city program called ​“Career Pathways TECH Collaborative” aims to get teens high school credit and professional credentials for after-school vocational training at Eli Whitney Technical School. The city received $250,000 from the state Department of Education to start a pilot program this fall.

The new program is part of the city’s plan to reduce teen violence, said Jason Bartlett (pictured), the city’s youth services director. ​“The primary factor [to reduce violence] was job employment.” Mayor Toni Harp felt more young people should be allowed access to Eli Whitney, the only local high school with the appropriate facilities for technical training, he said.

From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, high school juniors and seniors will get classroom and hands-on training in one of three fields: manufacturing, pipefitting, or weatherproofing homes. They will spend one day of the week learning how to interview for a job and write resumes.

Bartlett said he hopes students can receive high school credit in addition to their professional certificates.

“At-risk youth are over-age and under-credited,” he said. This program would require them to finish school while building practical skills. Afterward, they will be encouraged to continue their studies at Naugatuck Valley or Gateway Community Colleges, or seek immediate employment.

The three vocational fields correlate with sectors experiencing high growth rates in Connecticut, said Sherry Haller, executive director of Justice Education Center, the lead agency in the collaborative.

After two New Haven teens were murdered last April, Mayor Harp’s administration took major steps to provide at-risk young people with pathways out of poverty and violence. The new career collaborative will run in conjunction with City Youth Stat, a series of regular meetings among cops, education leaders, and youth outreach agencies, who work together to identify and assist young people in trouble.

The Board of Education and the city will use Youth Stat to pre-screen students and provide additional services when necessary. Bartlett said students below a ninth grade proficiency in reading and math will receive tutorial support.

The proposal to fund the collaborative, submitted at the last minute in the face of deadline to start the program, passed unanimously at the Board of Alders meeting last Tuesday. (Five other last-minute city proposals were denied unanimous consent that night.) At the public caucus before the meeting, Yale Alder Sarah Eidelson said the board will work with the city to ​“fix the kinks” that led to the proposal’s late submission.

Forty-five high school juniors and seniors will begin the program starting in October. Not all the slots are filled out yet; some of the enrolled were identified by the city as being at risk of being involved in violence. Contact Jason Bartlett at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 203 – 946-7585 for more information on how to participate.