Special Projects
Apprenticeship
As part of Rural Works, we are working closely with three county-based workforce collaboratives that are prioritizing the creation of a work-to-learn, pre-apprenticeship, and apprenticeship ecosystem. Two Arkansas counties (Jefferson and Phillips) and one Mississippi county (Coahoma) are working with their regional industries, higher education institutions, workforce development agencies, and community partners to create a sustainable model of talent development.
We partnered with Thomas P. Miller & Associates (TPMA) to create an Apprenticeship Toolkit to provide necessary information and share quality best practices.
Opportunity Youth
According to Jobs For The Future, nearly 40% of our young people, aged between 16 and 24, are weakly attached or unattached to school and work. While these young people may wish to be involved in their communities and secure and maintain living wage jobs or higher, once they have become disconnected from school and work, only 1% of disconnected youth will earn an associate’s degree or higher. In rural communities, it is even more difficult to earn degrees or certificates once young people have become disconnected from learning institutions or jobs.
In partnership with the Forum For Community Solutions at the Aspen Institute, we are working closely with two organizations in Mississippi who are already providing quality programming for this age group.
- Washington County Economic Alliance (Greenville, MS) Washington County Economic Alliance partnered with the Capps Technology Center, Grant Allied Health, Regions Bank, and King's Daughters and Sons Circle Number 2 to offer job training scholarships to young adults in Washington County. Available certificates are in healthcare, construction, and hospitality. Participants may receive the scholarship as well as individual support to address historical obstacles, whether it is books and exam fees, child care, transportation, justice system, and food access.
- Griot Arts (Clarksdale, MS) Griot Arts is primarily an arts program that provides a space for participants to explore their creative skills. In addition, they run Meraki, a local coffee shop run by Opportunity Youth. Meraki is a classic coffee shop with a twist, as it hosts a beanery and participants are able to create and market their own coffee blends.
Justice
In Greenville, MS, where far too many people, especially Black residents, can't pursue their goals because of barriers created by their records, LISC and a coalition of partners launched an expungement program to help job- and education-seekers get those charges and fines dismissed.