Skill Development Project Leader (VISTA)

Posted by Youth Build Philadelphia Charter School on July 21, 2020

Our organization is searching for a 12-month AmeriCorps*VISTA: Skill Development Project Leader at YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School to build capacity (behind the scenes rather than direct service to students) to our career program.

YouthBuild Philadelphia is a life-changing, two-year program for 18-20 year olds who previously dropped out of high school.  During the first year of the program, students complete a competency-based high school diploma, vocational training (in childcare, construction, customer service, or healthcare) and serve as part-time AmeriCorps members.  In the second year of the program, alumni receive support to pursue their postsecondary goals in college and careers.  YouthBuild Philadelphia is an award winning, flagship program of the national YouthBuild movement and has been named a Top Workplace by the Philadelphia Inquirer for six consecutive years.

To apply, send letter of interest and resume to info.americorps@youthbuildphilly.org with the words “Skill Development Project Leader” in the subject line.  No phone calls, please.

Job Description

The goal of this position is to develop sustainable partnerships with entities that support each student’s service and educational goals, and create postsecondary training and employment opportunities connected to workforce certifications that students earn upon completion of year one programming. To achieve these goals, the VISTA member will:

• Develop Employer Engagement Strategies

The member will initiate and proactively develop relationships with employers to create opportunities for year two job placement in the healthcare, education, construction and customer service/retail industries. As these relationships develop, the member will create a process for generating and tracking employment leads and alumni placement and organize employer engagement events and training opportunities that engage employers in social identities and restorative work.

• Develop Postsecondary Placement and Retention Strategies

To achieve this goal, the member will collaborate with the Associate Director of Skill Development and the Associate Director of Alumni Success to develop a process for referring alumni to employment/postsecondary training, tracking referrals, and documenting outcomes. In addition, the member will identify resources and support services for students with special needs to succeed in employment and education. To help develop postsecondary strategies, the member will research, analyze and report to staff on labor market trends and YouthBuild Philly alumni data.

• Develop a Process to Train Employers and Postsecondary Partners

As a companion goal “Develop Employer Engagement Strategies”, the member will work with the Associate Director of Skill Development to develop a calendar and training topics that will be covered over the course of the academic year. S/he will identify resources and information to support training sessions and collaborate with the Learning Exchange, the Restorative team, and the Social Identities work group were appropriate. The VISTA will with the Program Operations Team to develop an evaluation to track the effectiveness of partner training sessions.

• Plan and execute educational events to bring employers and postsecondary institutions out to meet YB staff, students, and alumni

Work with the Associate Director of Skill Development to identify existing and potential employers and postsecondary training partners for outreach. Develop a process to prepare staff, students, and alumni for the events/interviews/professional experiences. Publicize, track and organize the event and all ancillary needs. Follow-up with employers and postsecondary training representatives. Work with Career Coordinators/Student Success Managers to support placement.

Benefits

• a living allowance of $14,097 annually ($542.22/biweekly pretax)
• an education award of approximately $6,195 upon successful completion of term of service
• loan forbearance w/ interest accrual payment (federal loans)
• child care coverage (if applicable)
• health benefits

This full-time AmeriCorps position is ideal for any candidate who is looking to gain experiences in any of the following areas: nonprofits, program design, research, data, postsecondary initiatives, career services, employer relations, college access programs, charter schools, and/or urban education.  Regular hours for this position are weekdays from 8a.m. to 4p.m. with flexibility required for occasional night or weekend events/projects.

Term and Qualifications for VISTA Members

Applicants for our full-time AmeriCorps/VISTA Member position must:

• Be a college graduate as of June 2020 who is—
  • proficient with Excel
  • research-focused
  • detail-oriented, and
  • passionate about serving at-risk populations
• Be a U.S. citizen or have permanent resident status
• Be in a position to offer full-time service for one year
• Be able to exhibit previous education, training, military, or work experience, and any other relevant skills or interests necessary to perform a specific VISTA assignment
• Be willing to live among and at the economic level of the low-income people served by the project and have a desire to provide needed community services to an under-served community
• Not listed in the National Sex Offender Registry database as convicted of a sex-related crime

Applicants cannot be the subject of legal proceedings (civil or criminal) that may consume time needed for their assignments.