Career seekers in the East Valley looking for employment and job skills training now have a new location to access these services, and much more, through the Workforce Center @ Mesa. The workforce services offered by Maricopa County are co-located in a facility where A New Leaf and the City of Mesa also offer programs, making this collaboration an example of a comprehensive service delivery model that provides local communities a valuable access point for a wide variety of services beyond employment support.
Opportunity Youth
Education and Workforce Development Roundtable
The Education and Workforce Development Roundtable is a centralized body reporting to the City Council that streamlines and coordinates efforts to advance Mesa’s education and workforce development goals, including but not limited to:
- Increasing and maintaining enrollment in education programs, including in early childhood, vocational, trade, and postsecondary education programs.
- Improving completion rates of education, vocational, and trade programs.
- Achieving higher educational attainment, including increased attainment of professional certifications and licenses and postsecondary degrees.
- Expanding job opportunities.
- Building successful careers, a competitive workforce, and a strong local economy.
- Providing equitable access to work and learning opportunities, resources, and support so that all can participate, prosper, and thrive in Mesa’s vibrant community and workforce.
The Roundtable works in partnership with experts in education, business leaders, nonprofit organizations, and Mesa residents to advance these goals.
Gilbert Steps 2 Success
Steps 2 Success helps students obtain their high school diplomas from Gilbert Public Schools Alternative High School campus — Canyon Valley School. Teachers personalize education to meet the unique needs of the Town’s diverse students. Through individualized relationships, small class sizes, flexible schedules, and accelerated courses, Canyon Valley educators assist students in achieving their own success. Promoting self-worth, goal-setting, job readiness, and lifelong learning is at the core of the Steps 2 Success mission.
Tucson Steps to Success
The Steps to Success Initiative is a partnership between Tucson Unified School District and the City of Tucson Office of the Mayor to seek out and retrieve students who have dropped out of Tucson Unified School District. Through home visits, this partnership has allowed educational staff, city officials, and community members to visit with students and their families and encourage them to return and complete their high school education.
Articles
PHXteens
Created with input from teens and operated by the Phoenix Department of Parks and Recreation, PHXteens provides opportunities for youth to engage with their communities through consistent, unified programming at sites across the City. The initiative has produced a range of materials and resources that help facilitate youth engagement, including a mobile recreation van, promotional videos and posters, and an active social media presence.
Homeless Youth Connection
Established in 2010 and located in Avondale, Homeless Youth Connection has served more than 2,700 homeless students across the Valley. Staff provide basic necessities, case management, housing, counseling, mentoring, and life skills training to youth, ages 13-21, attending over 100 high schools in 10 districts. These resources help ensure that students have the support necessary to stay in school, earn a diploma, and pursue a brighter future.
