The mission of The Work Group's youth initiative, the New Jersey Corps of Camden County, is to restore and preserve the dignity of young adults who have been under-served and enhance their value to society by providing a comprehensive program of academic instruction and community service work experience that forms a solid foundation upon which to build a brighter future. The program serves young adults ages 16-25 who have dropped out of high school, have limited literacy and are unemployed. The Work Group's Strategy is to involve students in an active, engaging instructional program, where learning is relevant to their lives and to the work they want to do. The staff members have developed a curriculum which embeds all learning, including GED preparation, into topics of civic responsibility, economic understanding and personal, interpersonal and career development. The curriculum is experiential and problem-centered.
Students learn through the posing and solving of real life and work-related problems.
The Work Group's objective is that all New Jersey Youth Corps Staff will participate in training for an equivalent of a minimum of seven working days. One day every seven weeks is set aside for development activities. PIP is a highly structured data review and problem solving process that allows Senior Management, the Youth Corps Director, staff and Peer Leaders to routinely monitor progress, make continuous improvements and be responsive to the needs of students. Each Committee is headed by a chair from the employer community. The committee advises the program on Labor Market Trends, curriculum issues, and on access to jobs for students.