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The Potential Use of Mentoring Programs to
Alleviate Structural Unemployment

Fulfillment of the Master’s Research
for the completion of the

Master’s of Science in Urban & Regional Planning
Fall Semester, 1995

LaTina R. Denson

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are many people who helped make my research a successful endeavor, and their support is
greatly appreciated.

Thank you to Dr. Hiram Fitzgerald and Annette Abrams of the Applied Developmental Science
Program at Michigan State University. Thanks for exposing me to the enourmous amount of
literature and the potential of mentoring intiatives to help at-risk youth.

I would also like to thank Dr. Zenia Kotval for her guidance, support and understanding. Thank
you for being such a wonderful advisor and fiiend.

A special thanks to James Fason for his continuous support. Thank you for being a “listening
ear” and for your valuable input.

LaTina Rechelle Denson

Graduate Student
Michigan State University

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1

II. Economic Development ................................................................................................... 4
A. Definition
B. Importance to Communities

111. Structural Unemployment ............................................................................................... 9
A. Definition
B. Implications to Economic Development

IV. Human Resources ........................................................................................................... 1 l
A. Importance to Economic Development

V. Mentoring ........................................................................................................................ 16
A. Definition
B. How it relates to Structural Unemployment

VI. Case Studies .................................................................................................................... 22
A. Keeping Youth in School
B. The Yakima Valley OIC Center

VII. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................. 32

VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................ 36

The Potential Use of Mentoring Programs to
Alleviate Structural Unemployment

INIEQDUCIIQN
Structural unemployment is a term often used to describe the
"mismatch" between labor and skills. According to William
McCarthy of the National League of Cities, structural
unemployment is "joblessness, often long in duration, which
emanates largely from deficiencies in workers' skills,
disparities between workers' skills and in-demand skills, and
insufficiency of jobs and discrimination.

All to often urban and rural communities find themselves
faced with the problem of structural unemployment. The growing
population of those suffering from unemployment are youth,
particularly disadvantaged youth. These youth may view
unemployment as the inability to obtain jobs due to deficiencies
in basic skills, lack of experience and the inexperience on
knowing how to find a job. These barriers often lead to poor job
opportunities and low earnings.

Historically, solutions to unemployment problems have
focused on education and job training. These programs have been
administered through various entities at the federal and local
levels for example JTPA programs and Junior Achievement. One

1

focus of these programs are geared toward educating and training
youth to equip them with work ethics and skills that will be
valuable in getting and keeping a job.

Non-traditional or overlooked avenues that address job
training and education are often found in the form of mentoring
programs, in particular youth mentoring programs. Mentoring
programs have been used as vehicles for community members to
actively engage in the betterment of their youth. Community
development consist of the social, economical, political, and
physical development of communities. With a growing number of
programs, the increase in attention at the local level, and
becoming a part of political agendas, mentoring has become a
pertinent component of community development.

Traditionally mentoring has occurred naturally, but as
community empowerment and participation have increased at the
local level, planned mentoring programs have become more popular.
This can be attributed to community members wanting to lend
helping hands in determining the fate of their community.
Empowerment and participation are tools which residents are using
to gain control and make decisions about their surrounding
neighborhoods.

For the purpose of this paper, mentoring will be defined as:

2

a supportive relationship between a youth or young adult and
someone more senior in age and experience, who offers support,
guidance, and concrete assistance as the younger partner goes
through a difficult period, enters a new area of experience,
takes on an important task, or corrects an earlier problem.
Mentoring programs look to empower and improve citizen
participation for citizens to involve themselves in the
development of communities. The majority of mentoring programs
have focused on social and economical development of
disadvantaged youth.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the rebuilding of
communities through the art and practice of mentoring. More
specifically, I will focus on the problem of structural
unemployment and how mentoring programs have been used as one of
the tools to help alleviate the problem at the local level.

Section two presents a review of the history of economic
development, unemployment, and structural unemployment as they
relate to communities and the labor force. Section three of the
paper provides information on why and how mentoring programs have
focused on training and education, particularly training and
educating disadvantaged youth. Section four describes the
characteristics of two case studies of mentoring programs whose

3

activities address the educational and skills problem of

structural unemployment.

Any discussion of mentoring and how it relates to structural
unemployment must begin with an attempt to describe economic
development and its implications to community development.
Economic development is a process involving the formation of new
institutions, the development of alternative industries, the
improvement of the capacity of existing employers, the
identification of new markets, the transfer of knowledge, and the
nurturing of new firms and enterprises (Blakely, 1994).

Employment is one of the critical issues faced within
today's communities along with other concerns such as housing,
environment, health, poverty, transportation and other human
needs. Employment is so important because it is seen as a tool
in providing basic living needs to residents.

Economic development is important to insure job creation,
job retention, reduction of poverty, retention of wealth, and

economic stability. These elements are necessary for the

continued growth and stability of economic activities in
communities. Some economic development practices include:
business retention; business ventures; entrepreneurialism;
education, training, and placement; labor-based development; and,
community organizing/planning (Bingham and Mier, 1993).

Education, training, and placement as a strategy invests in
human capital of neighborhoods and attempts to connect people
with jobs, This strategy addresses the mismatch in regard to
skills and geography of neighborhood residents and the labor
market. Its initiatives provide basic skills, employment
training, transportation, job readiness, antidiscrimination
efforts, job linkages, and ongoing on-the—job supports (Bingham
and Mier, 1993).

Economic development activities are essential to stability
and vitality of development occurring in communities at the local
level. The lack of viable and stable economic development
activities has led to the decrease in employment opportunities.
Along with employment, the quality of life has also decreased in
inner city communities. The incapability of providing basic
needs of employment have led communities to seek solutions to

their problem of unemployment. These employment problems faced

by communities can be classified into two categories:
employability problems and opportunity problems (McCarthy, 1985).

Employability problems consist of barriers or deficiencies
which prevents the finding of a job or inhibits keeping a job.
Four types of barriers are identified as generally being
responsible for such problems: (1) Basic Educational
Deficiencies; (2) Lack of Basic Job Skills; (3) Mismatch of
Skills and In-demand Jobs; and,(4) Miscellaneous Barriers, such
as teenage pregnancy (McCarthy, 1985).

Basic educational deficiencies are being discovered as a
major inhibitor of employment. More often it is being noted that
the U.S. educational system is failing to provide quality
education. Complaints heard from employers and higher education
have been focused employee deficiencies in basic reading,
writing, and math skills. The lack of basic educational skills
are distancing potential workers from entering the job market.

Lack of basic job skills has been a major concern of
potential employers and a problem for unskilled workers. The
inability of finding skilled workers in communities has often led
to the disinvestment of certain areas. As a result, unskilled

workers are continuously having problems in obtaining skills and

experience to meet the prerequisites of the in-demand job
opportunities.

Mismatch of skills and in-demand jobs is similar to the
problem of lacking basic skills. Mismatch of skills refers to
the necessary skills to obtain the in-demand jobs regardless of
past experiences. This usually dislocates workers who have
previously held jobs in the job market, but now lack the skills
of jobs that are currently in demand.

Miscellaneous barriers to employability problems can include
a host of barriers that are not necessarily skills related such
as teenage parenthood, language difficulties, behavioral
problems, and various forms of handicaps (McCarthy, 1985).

These barriers are often found in certain segments of the
population such as rural and inner cities or as barriers to the
youth in our communities. The challenge is to create policies
and programs to eliminate such barriers.

Opportunity problems are different in nature from
employability problems. Opportunity problems result chiefly form
factors extrinsic to workers and their characteristics.
Opportunity problems are those that are caused by changes and

fluctuations within the economy which produce problems for some

individuals (McCarthy, 1985). Opportunity problems which affect

the numbers and types of employment opportunities can be divided

into four sub-categories: (1) Insufficient Number of Jobs; (2)
Occupational/Industry Decline; (3) Disparities in Labor Force
Skills and Job Market Demand; and, (4) Discrimination in the

Workplace (McCarthy, 1985).

Insufficient number of jobs appears to be one of the most
dramatic problem faced in rural and inner city communities.
Disinvestment in communities by potential employers and
traditional economic development practitioners i.e. bankers has
led to the decline in economic activity. Thus, businesses are
locating in the outer peripheries of urban areas.

Occupational/Industry decline refers to the decline of the
U.S. manufacturing economy. Critical declines in certain
industries continue to shrink the U.S. labor market by millions
of jobs. Other major contributors to the decline are the
increase in exportation of production by American companies and
importation of foreign-made goods (McCarthy, 1985).

Disparities in labor force skills and job market demand
creates problems for workers and economic growth. This

opportunity problem is two-fold: (l) the incongruence of many

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workers' skills and current demands for skilled labor; and, (2)
the overall shortage of skilled labor (McCarthy, 1985). In
today's economy, the gap between worker's skills and current
demands is increasing. With the economy shifting from the
manufacturing to the service industry not only is the gap
widening between current skills and demands, but there is also an
overall shortage of skilled labor due to some of the
employability problems previously discussed.

Discrimination in the workplace is the most insidious of
opportunity problems. Discrimination is practiced both
consciously and in a de facto sense through hiring patterns,
locational decisions and compensation practices. Its practice
disproportionately affects the poor, women, minorities, younger
and older workers and the handicapped, many of whom reside in

urban areas (McCarthy, 1985).

W

Disparities in workers' skills and job opportunities impedes
economic development and job creation. As a result, communities
have sought to create solutions to this problem. Most often at

the local level, the most attacked form of unemployment is

structural unemployment. Structural unemployment may occur due
to the lack of skills of potential workers or geographical
changes of employment opportunities. For the purpose of this
analysis, geographical changes of employment opportunities will
not be addressed.

Historically, structural unemployment has occurred in
communities that were once vibrant because of manufacturing, but
as a result of manufacturing plants moving to suburban and
overseas locations, the change of the economy moving toward the
service industry, shifts from one manufacturing sector to
another, and technological changes, these communities are
suffering from economical strains.

Structural unemployment hinders workers from obtaining means
of economic self-sufficiency. In 1986, there were about four
million workers structurally unemployed. Ten to fifteen million
manufacturing jobs will be eliminated as a result of foreign
competition. The composition of new entrants into the work
force, and the demand for highly skilled workers have the nation
on a track towards a situation in which productivity and economic
growth will be limited by human capital constraints (National

Alliance of Business, 1986).

10

In order to overcome deficiencies or barriers of
employability problems and their influences on structural
unemployment, the examination of available human resources is
pertinent to understand why and how individuals suffer from
employability deficiencies, and to identify the next steps for

communities to address and attempt to solve these problems.

W

Whether or not jobs will exist largely depends on whether or
not investment in human resources will occur to produce qualified
workers to fill the jobs.

In 1987, the U.S. Department of Labor issued WCrkforce 2000,
which documented an emerging crisis in the American Workplace.
That report warned the nation that demographic trends,
technological change, and increased international competition
could weaken our economic position in the next century. As
predicted in workforce 2000, there is an increase in demand for
highly skilled workers which has already created shortages of
skilled workers or have caused low—skill workers to have
difficulty finding employment.

The disparities continuously found between labor demand and

11

the current work force has led to the importance and necessity of
investing in human resources in order for local economies to
survive. Before examining the role of human resources in
economic development, vitality and sustainability, it is
important to understand the meaning of human resources.

The concept of human capital has several meanings. Three
themes that can be found in each definition are: knowledge,
skills, and production. Some definitions include:

the combination of innate talent, knowledge, skill, and
experience that makes each human a valuable contributor to

economic production (Perelman, 1984.)

the sum total of the knowledge, skills and aptitudes of
the people, inhabiting the country...it includes the
initiative, resourcefulness, capacity for sustained work,
right values, interests and attitudes, and other human
qualities conducive to higher output and accelerated

economic growth (Mehta, 1976).

involves a process of investment that enhances human

12

labor productivity by means of advances in knowledge and its
applications. It specifically involves investment

expenditures on education, training, health, nutrition, and
related factors that increase the productivity of the labor

force (Asefa and Huang, 1994).

Knowledge is an important factor of economic growth. As
defined in the Webster dictionary, knowledge is the fact or
condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through
experience or association. This is exactly what workers strive
for and employers seek in their employees.

As previously discussed, one of the major constraints in
employment or economic growth is the lack of skills that workers
possess. The development of human resources is essential to the
development of skills. Investing in human resources is often
seen as not as important as developing physical capital, but
without adequately trained workers, economies will continue to
suffer locally and globally. Having the necessary skills or
tools that can be applied to current labor demands will
ultimately help workers increase productivity and position local

economies to create jobs and sustain growth.

13

Increase in productivity can be considered the major goal of
most corporations competing in today's market. Productivity is
the "bottom line" and is one of the most important aspects in
today's economy. Human resources can be seen as a catalyst to
create or produce increases in productivity. When workers are
equipped with the knowledge and necessary skills to adequately
perform their jobs, this willenable local and U.S. economies to
compete in globally. Increases in human capital have
traditionally translated into rising productivity and growth in
earnings (Denison 1985; Jorgenson, 1988).

Studies have shown that human capital has made a significant
contribution to the economic growth of industrial nations such as
the United States. Human resources are the driving forces which
keeps economies thriving, although investments in human resources
have decreased over time. As a result, workers or potential
workers have had a need for more training and education.

One of the most well-documented facts of labor economics is
that education and training, or human capital investments, have
high payoff in terms of income and productivity (Denison, 1985).
With this in mind there should be special emphasis in job

training and education to insure that labor economies are

14

equipped to continue to receive payoffs of income and
productivity. Instead the number of deficiencies in education and
basic skills are increasing and putting economies in danger.

Many have reported on the decline of education and basic
skills of American workers or potential workers. The Commission
on Workforce Quality and Labor Market Efficiency (1989) reported
that "vast numbers of American students cannot meet the
educational requirements of today's workplace, much less those of
the next century..." The American Society of Training Directors
(1989) concluded that the problem of "deficiencies in basic
workplace skills is a growing one...driving the nation toward a
human capital deficit...that threatens the competitiveness of
economic institutions..." According to the Office of Technology
Assessment, American Companies find that, in their operations in
Germany or Japan, workers have better reading and math skills
than American in the United States, which leads to the
disinvestment of training American workers (Bartel, 1993).

Busingsa_fleek (1988) reported that "the U.S. has lost much
ground to competitors, and investing in people looks like the way
to retake it." This is exactly what non-profit or community

based organizations (CBO's) have done to improve the economic and

15

employment situations in their communities. Communities are
beginning to empower its residents and take control over their
neighborhoods. Combating unemployment has become a major focus
to improve neighborhoods. One way for non-profits and CBO's to
combat unemployment has been to invest in its youth, the future
work force. Although many strategies have been planned and
implemented, the tool of mentoring is also being used to improve

the quality of life in disadvantaged areas.

Mentoring

Now more than ever community development initiatives such as
mentoring needs to be targeted towards youth at-risk. There are
13.6 million at-risk youth between the ages of 10 and 17 in the
U.S. today. This number will surge by at least an additional 3
million at-risk youth by the year 2000. Most of these at-risk
youth could benefit from mentoring. In a variety of studies,
high—risk youth involved in mentoring relationships have shown a
400-percent improvement in attitudes, 59 percent improvement in
grades, 90 percent reduction of dropout rates, and 70-80 percent
reduction in recidivism into former behaviors (DARE Mighty

Things, Inc., 1994).

16

Mentoring has become an importantactivity to promote the
success of today's youth. In its most inclusive and exhaustive
function, mentoring fosters "the realization of the dream" for
the youth that are served. Through the relationship with adult
companions, mentees come to believe in their own potential for
success in life. Mentors come to represent the larger realms of
life: education to the young person who wants to become educated,
work to the young person who wants to work (Winstone, 1986).

Wanting to work and not being able to find compatible
employment opportunities have been a major concern of
disadvantaged youth, thus has become a pertinent focus of
mentoring programs that target at-risk youth. The basic premise
that mentoring programs follow is based on the belief that in
order for youth to make successful transitions from school to
work, there needs to be a commitment to building relationships
with others-personally, in school, on the job, and in the
community. This is the niche that mentoring programs have
entered in order to support communities in producing qualified
workers for available opportunities. Mentoring programs create a
new generation of workers, and for the mentee, this provides

opportunities for self-enhancement, self-empowerment and self

17

reliance.

More recently mentoring has often been viewed as social
intervention. Some mentoring programs intervene in order to
enrich youth development or remedy their deficiencies. Other
mentoring programs make efforts to open access to resources to
individuals who have been denied. Mentoring programs can also be
used to provide content learning and a concern for skills,
behaviors, and values in combination with social and networking
interventions (Flaxman, Ascher, and Harrington, 1988).

Mentoring is becoming a major activity for inner city youth.
Many collaborative partnerships have formed between private,
public, non-profit and community based sectors in order to create
successful mentoring programs. Mentoring is being recognized as
an essential tool to promote empowerment and self reliance of
communities.

Local officials have acknowledged and supported mentoring
initiatives as necessities for disadvantaged communities. In the
summer of 1995, Mayor Dennis Archer of Detroit announced his
plans to assist different sectors, particularly non-profits and
CBO's, in a major mentoring initiative for the youth in the City

of Detroit. The goal of the Mayor and other participants is to

18

reliance.

More recently mentoring has often been viewed as social
intervention. Some mentoring programs intervene in order to
enrich youth development or remedy their deficiencies. Other
mentoring programs make efforts to open access to resources to
individuals who have been denied. Mentoring programs can also be
used to provide content learning and a concern for skills,
behaviors, and values in combination with social and networking
interventions (Flaxman, Ascher, and Harrington, 1988).

Mentoring is becoming a major activity for inner city youth.
Many collaborative partnerships have formed between private,
public, non-profit and community based sectors in order to create
successful mentoring programs. Mentoring is being recognized as
an essential tool to promote empowerment and self reliance of
communities.

Local officials have acknowledged and supported mentoring
initiatives as necessities for disadvantaged communities. In the
summer of 1995, Mayor Dennis Archer of Detroit announced his
plans to assist different sectors, particularly non-profits and
CBO's, in a major mentoring initiative for the youth in the City

of Detroit. The goal of the Mayor and other participants is to

18

eventually have a mentor for every student between the ages of 5
to 18. Although this initiative may seem far fetched or
unrealistic to some, the aspiration and willingness to address
such an initiative is an attitude that other officials should
adapt.

Mentoring can be defined in various ways. It can be defined
based on the type of relationship that is being formed, what
activities will occur, and what are the anticipated outcomes?
Definitions of mentoring includes:

The presence of one or many caring adults, who, along with

parents, provide children with support, counsel, friendship,

reinforcement and constructive example (One to One, 1995).

A structured, one-to-one relationship or partnership that
focuses on the needs of the mentored participant...which
fosters caring and supportive relationships, encourages
individuals to develop to their fullest potential, and helps
an individual to develop his or her own vision for the

future (The National Wbrking Group, 1991).

A mentor is a caring individual who develops an ongoing,

l9

education and job training skills for disadvantaged youth. The
disadvantaged youth population faces multiple barriers to a
successful entry into the world of work. This particularly true
of the large numbers in youth who live in distressed communities.
Not being able to overcome these barriers, they will continue
having serious implications for employment, earnings and
susceptibility to social problems.

One of the most critical factors is that deficiencies in
basic education skills prevent the successful assimilation of
disadvantaged youth into the labor market. Both case studies of
mentoring youth initiatives incorporate some element of basic or
remedial education into their program, target special needs of
disadvantaged youth, and present approaches to the issues of job
creation and access to jobs for youth.

Most mentoring programs for disadvantaged youth are
coordinated and implemented by community based organizations. In
order to show diversity, one of the case studies is a community
based initiative, whereas the other case study presented is a

state initiated program.

21

one—on-one relationship with someone in need. The mentor
encourages, listens, gives options, advocates, acts as a
role model and shares information and knowledge that he/she

has gained over time (Langston, 1995).

Mentoring can mean many things, however, two elements definitely
stand out. The first element refers to people. Mentoring calls
for one person interacting in some way with another person. The
second element of mentoring is some sort of supportive action in
the form of guidance, support, advice, counseling, etc.

As mentioned previously, mentoring programs focus on self-
empowerment and self-reliance. Self-empowerment and self-
fulfillment are important in community and community economic
development. These two concepts are pertinent in helping
communities realize and act on their fullest potential. As
mentees, individuals become more aware of their value and
capabilities as a person. The goal is to help individuals obtain
a better self concept and also encourage self-fulfillment from
the individual.

Although mentoring programs vary in activities and

anticipated outcomes, many programs have focused on improving

20

KEEPING YOUTH IN SCHOOL
Washington, DC

According to the 1985 business subcommittee of the Education
Commission of the States, about 2.4 million youth between the
ages of 16 and 19 are unlikely to become productive adults.
Youth are disconnected from society as a result of drug abuse,
delinquency, pregnancy, unemployment and dropping out of school.
The poor, Black and Hispanic teens are disproportionately over
represented among this at risk population (U.S. Department of
Education, 1983).

Faith in the power of education to open doors to a better
future underlies much of the research directed at dropout
problems. Recent studies have identified a number of adverse
consequences of dropping out of school, such as difficulty in
finding and holding a job and earning less income (Feldstein and
Ellwood, 1982).

Youth in foster care have also been identified as those who
are at risk of dropping out of school. Recent statistics from
the New York City Human Resource Administration show that the

22

dependency rate for young adults discharged from foster care was
twice that found in the general population as measured by receipt
of public assistance. In 1984, some 16,000 adolescents were
discharged from care because they had reached the age of
majority, but a substantial number of the discharged youth did
not have the necessary skills to achieve self—sufficiency
(Westat, 1986).

Currently, there are more than 2,000 children in foster care
in the District of Columbia. In spite of available subsidies,
only a few foster children are placed in permanent homes through
adoption (NBC, 1989). The need for a programmatic response to
this situation is highlighted in the latest study by the District
of Columbia Committee on Public Education (1989). The study
found that the current school dropout rate in DC is over 40
percent, and many youth drop out of school while they are in
junior high school.

In 1986, the Children's Bureau of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services provided a three year research and
demonstration grant to the Catholic University of America to
develop a practice model addressing the school drop out problem

among a high risk youth population in an urban community. This

23

project entitled "Keep in Youth in School" was housed at the

National Catholic School of Social Service.

Key Players

The project is a joint venture among two service delivery
organizations, a business corporation, and an institution of
higher learning. The National Catholic School of Social Service
at the Catholic University of America is the lead agency of the

project.

Family and Child Services of Washington, D.C., a private
non-profit organization and one of the foster care providers in
the District of Columbia. It is one of the distinguished social
service agencies in the human service delivery system. The other
service delivery organization is the D.C. Department of Human
Services is a public child welfare agency. The Family and Child
Services Division provides direct services as well as contracted
services for foster children.

The Marriott Corporation is an innovator in the lodging and
food service industry, offering a diversity of entry level

positions throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Marriott

24

has a history of hiring the disadvantaged and currently leads all
other U.S. employers in earned Targeted Jobs Tax Credits (TJTC).
The management of its Community Employment and Training Programs
has demonstrated skills in meeting the special needs of the
disadvantaged youth and in working actively in community service

programs.

Program Format

The employment training component of the program was the
Emplgymen;_1;aining_£xggram. The purpose of this program is to
provide incentives for youth so that they will be inspired to
complete high school, to develop appropriate attitudes toward
work and job skills, and to adapt themselves to the world of
work. The employment program strategy encompassed a program
aimed at supporting and encouraging our youth to stay in school
and excel in it. The employment program achieved this by
rewarding youth who stayed in school with an entry level job when
they turned sixteen. The incentive program was developed for all
youth rewarding them for academic efforts and expose them to new
experiences.

Employment opportunities were made available to our youth

25

through a partnership with a collaborating agency, the Community
Employment and Training Programs of the Marriott Corporation.
Youth were given the opportunity to interview with the Marriott
Corporation for entry level positions in its restaurant division.
Once eligible youth had chosen to participate in the employment
program, a prescreening session was held either by the project
program coordinator or a Marriott representative. This person
met with one or more youth and conducted an interview workshop
and gave the youth information about their on-site interviews.
Also discussed were other employment issues such as job
expectations, the importance of communication, dealing with
authority, and opportunities for advancement and career paths in
the Marriott Corporation.

The youth then chose a desired location at which to
interview, and this placement was discussed with the youth's
primary caretaker. The program coordinator then helped the youth
to assemble all the necessary documents they needed to apply for
the job. An interview was then set up with the manager at the
desired job site and the youth was accompanied by the program
coordinator to the interview.

If all necessary documents were present, the youth were

26

generally able to begin working one week after the pre-screening
session. Once a youth began to work, follow up contacts were
made by the program coordinator to the youth, manager and primary
caretaker to ensure a smooth transition into the world of work,
and to clarify responsibilities and expectations of all involved.

It is the experience of the project that the active
involvement of the collaborating agency, the Marriott
Corporation, in the employment preparation process was extremely
important. When a prescreening workshop was done by a Marriott
executive it was more effective than when it was done by the
Program Coordinator. It appeared that these youth were more
likely to begin work, and work longer than those without contact
with a Marriott executive. The difference between the groups was
that youth were able to make a connection between the entry level
experience they would get now, and how it would help them obtain
a better job in the future. They also identified with the
Marriott Corporation as a whole and could see career paths lying
ahead.
Results

From 1986 to 1989, 97 foster youths participated in the

project. All were Black with the exception of one Asian and two

27

Hispanics. 50 were female and 47 were male. Among the 97, 44
youths, 22 male and 22 female, 42 Black, 1 Asian and 1 Hispanic
turned age 16 and thus became eligible to participate in the
employment training program.

Nineteen (43%) of the 44 youths did not participate. Twenty
five of them were given employment interviews and all were
offered jobs near their homes or at their preferred sites.
However, among the 25 youths, 6 did not start work after being
hired. Four youths worked a month or less; 6 worked on month to
six months; 3 worked six months to a years; and six worked a year
or more. Those who were prevented from having successful
employment training experiences had employment barriers such as:
teen pregnancy; underground employment (drug selling);
documentation; attitudes; and, educational and vocational skills.

At least seven of the youth who worked six months or longer
have since moved to sales or to better paid restaurant jobs, and
three of them graduated from high school and pursued higher
education. Their experiences with Marriott were cited as
invaluable in terms of understanding the world or work,
developing vocational skills, and changing attitudes toward work

and education.

28

THE YAKIMA VALLEY OIC CENTER
Yakima, Washington

Limitations on resources, service deliverers and jobs create
special barriers to disadvantaged youths in small communities.
Creative and effective approaches to serving the needs of youth
can, on the other hand, maximize resources and generate support
from many elements of the community. In some cases, a sharing of
responsibilities and resources by more than one small community
can yield collective benefits to youths and their communities.

In Yakima Valley, Washington, a fourteen year old
Opportunities Industrialization Center provides educational,
skill training, job placement and other services to over 1,000
young people a year in two-county area of small communities.
Through its four youth mentoring and training centers, the Yakima
Valley OIC operates Educational Clinics, an Alternative High
School, a Summer Youth Employment Program and a "Hire One Youth"
Program targeted to private sector employers.

Declining opportunities in Yakima Valley's major industries,
food processing and timber, and the problems associated with
seasonal employment and unskilled and unemployed youth, inspired
the creation of the Center. With the technical assistance of the
National OIC and an employment and training contract for

29

$156,000, the Yakima Valley OIC became a reality.

The OIC targets populations ranging from fourteen to twenty—
one years of age, the group served reflects the overall makeup of
Yakima Valley's population. Slightly more than half of the
participants are White, 28 percent are Hispanic, 9 percent are
Black, 8 percent Native American and 1 percent Asian. Sixty
percent of participants are female, 40 percent male.

An estimated 15 percent are teenage parents, 8—10 percent
have had some involvement with the law, and 60 percent of
Hispanic participants have limited knowledge of English. Half of
all youths served are out of school and 90 percent of them are at
high school ages; 5 percent have graduated and another 5 percent
have GEDS. The average reading and computational levels of the

group are between seventh and eighth grade.

Key Players

The OIC program have working relationships with : the JTPA
Tri-Valley Service Delivery Area Consortium; the Yakima and
Kittitas County School Districts; the Yakima Valley Community

College; and, the Chamber of Commerce.

30

Program Format

The combination of education, skills training, placement,
supportive services and special programs creates a truly
comprehensive approach to serving Yakima Valley's youth. OIC's
access to the dispersed population of the two counties is
maximized and ties to local employers are significantly close.
The fact that the program addresses youth as well as adult needs
means fuller understanding of the area's problems and greater
continuity in service delivery.

The Center tailors training programs in any number of
fields, among them: computer literacy, computer programming, word
processing, typing, accounting, bookkeeping, sales, cashiering,
small business management and building maintenance. In addition
to skills training, on-the-job training and work experience
placements are developed, in part through the Center's own
revenue-generating businesses, including a thrift store and two
snack bars.

The many other programs offered by OIC, including Summer
Youth Employment, Hire One Youth, etc., ensure flexibility in
serving the specific types of needs of the area's youth

population.

31

Results

Of the more than 1,000 youths served in by the Yakima Valley
OIC- an average of 635 participating at any one time- 62 percent
were placed in jobs. Of this group four—fifths were placed in
full time employment, the other fifth in part-time positions as
they continued their educations. Private sector placements
accounted for 47 percent of all jobs, while combined public and

nonprofit positions represented 53 percent.

CQNCLUSIQH

Across the spectrum, more parents are not able to stay home
and spend time with their children. Neighborhoods are becoming
less cohesive and supportive, which leaves some youth to feel
alienated. Schools are becoming larger and less personal.
Teachers find it difficult to give special attention to the
development of individual students.

In order to fill the voids that youth experience at home, in
the community, and at school, mentoring programs have attempted
to provide positive relationships for youth as well as help the
individual with personal development.

Planned mentoring programs are becoming more active in the

32

development of today's youth, particularly in their educational
and skills development. Although mentoring responds to needs of
individual, these needs are in fact determined by what would help
this individual live satisfactorily in society. For youths, the
knowledge and skills of a more experienced person can be very
important in enabling that young person to progress in a number
of paths. Two important paths for today's youth are developing
educational and professional skills to be active members in the
community.

One of the major concerns of business is the level of
education and experience of youth entering the workforce. Often
times employers are having difficulty finding "qualified"
individuals to fill positions due to deficiencies in education,
skills or both. Youth are finding it difficult to find jobs in
which they are qualified because shift from manufacturing to the
service industry. This mismatch of skills and jobs available is
often referred to as structural unemployment.

Structural unemployment puts stress on residents by not
having ample employment opportunities available in our
communities. The lack of jobs in a community leads to unstable

neighborhoods with youth and adults not being able to find

33

employment. Often times this problem leads to residents becoming
dependent on the government or other alternative activities for
income. Another important factor of structural unemployment is
the role of human resources. As mentioned above, employers are
finding that the available human resources do not match or are
not qualified for the available opportunities within an
organization. The problems associated with structural
unemployment promotes the need for training and education in
order to match available jobs to community residents.

Major components of mentoring programs have been centered
around education, career development, work skills and work
etiquette. The Keeping Youth in School program worked with
foster care youth in education and career development through
their Employment Training Program. Employment training and
opportunities are assured to all project participants as soon as
they reach age 16, as long as they remain in school. The youth
are initially placed in entry level positions near their homes
within the Marriott Corporation restaurant division. Their
experience with the program and Marriott Corporation helped them
understand the world of work, develop vocational skills, and

change their attitudes towards work and education.

34

The Yakima Valley OIC Center also made efforts to help
resolve the problem of structural unemployment. Although the
Yakima Valley OIC Center is not a mentoring program, a major
component of their workplan is mentoring youth to assist in the
development of education and skills. Through their Educational
Clinics, an Alternative High School, a Summer Youth Employment
Program and a "Hire One Youth" Program, the OIC assisted youth in
their educational and career development skills.

Mentoring relationships, except in a very few cases,
probably will not last forever. In fact, structured mentoring
arrangements have some sort of time constraint (a year, a
semester). However, a successful mentoring relationship should
afford longer benefits for the youth they serve by providing
ideas, knowledge, and skills that will be useful in the future.
Young people need to know how to build bridges that will serve as
valuable resources for them and become empowered to set and
achieve their own goals. And through mentoring programs, youth
are able to gain skills and education which can be the foundation

of their bridges.

35

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