Preparing Youth for College, Work, Life

Last week, A Billion + Change (a national campaign inspiring corporate pro bono service) hosted a webinar entitled “Keeping America's Promise to Our Future: SBV Programs Preparing Youth for College, Work and Life.” The webinar brought together A Billion + Change pledge companies and partners to discuss how business can play a key role in improving education and investing in a better future.

Here are a few highlights from the presentation:

The Problem:

• One in four public school students drop out before high school graduation.
• Employers find those who do graduate do not have the skills or knowledge required by the globally competitive workforce.
• By 2030, 60 percent of our workforce will need a post-secondary degree to participate in the evolving market.

…and now, a few of the problem-solvers!

Tom Raffa (CEO of Raffa and founder of Companies for Causes)

• We need to reject the outdated notion that economic efficiency comes at the expense of social progress, and realize that the two goals are closely intertwined.
• Investing in our education system benefits both corporations and communities at large.
  • Companies for Causes (CforC) has united eight CEOs to collectively impact the community—specifically high school graduation and college readiness in the DC area.
  • CforC’s inaugural project is partnering with D.C.’s Eastern Senior High School to achieve a 100 percent graduation rate.
• Companies not leveraging their impact in education are cheating themselves—they are enabling a deficient future work force instead of partnering with communities to invest in future generations.

Michael Habermann (President of PENCIL)

• PENCIL improves student achievement by bringing business leaders into schools via skills-based volunteerism (specifically through their Partnership and Fellows programs).
• To best strengthen schools, it is vital to first ask principals what their needs are, and then align these needs with skills-based volunteers. Too many organizations make assumptions about a school’s needs and end up squandering volunteer resources.
• When starting a project, set realistic goals. Once you have goals set, develop an effective means of measuring progress. This keeps volunteers coming back and improves communication in the program.

Anne Wallestad (CEO of BoardSource)

• BoardSource assists the formation of effective nonprofit boards (or Board Service).
• Board Service engages a small number of dedicated employees to connect the company to the community, develop employee skills, and leverage company impact.
• A few key elements of effective Board Service:
  • Identify program goals
  • Develop a clear program strategy with policies to guide employee service
  • Have an effective method to evaluate your success

Be sure to check out the webinar and presentation!