Presented by: Nia Imani Fields, Kendra Wells, Manami Brown & Alganesh Piechocinski

1. *Engagement*Preparation for the Real World:An Entrepreneurship & Workforce Readiness Training Model Presented by: Nia Imani Fields, Kendra Wells, Manami Brown & Alganesh Piechocinski

2. Today we will discuss… • Introduction to the Maryland 4-H Entrepreneurship & Workforce Readiness (EWR) Model • Key Components of EWR Model • Implementation • Project Outcomes & Evaluation

3. But before we begin… • Ice Breaker!

4. How did this all begin?… • Program Goals • Teach youth/adult 4-H teams facilitation skills, and curricula on workforce readiness and entrepreneurship programs targeted to middle and high school youth in educational settings. • Teach youth/adult participants the connection between personality assessment and career choice. • Increase the number of 4-H entrepreneurship and workforce programs statewide. • Increase dialogue/recommendations for creative community collaborations around workforce readiness and entrepreneurship programming. • Transfer what they have learned by implementing business ventures in their educational programs and/or communities (via entrepreneurship clubs, workshops, newly developed businesses, etc.).

5. Training Teams… Baltimore City Team Baltimore County Team Montgomery County Team

6. Workforce & Entrepreneurship Partnership… • The research on Workforce Readiness (WR): • Increased academic success • Enhanced decision making skills • Increased opportunities for higher paying jobs • Leads to community economic prosperity • The research on Entrepreneurship programs: • National survey reports 4 in 10 young people ages 8-21 are interested in owning their own business • 99.9% of U.S. companies are small businesses (>500 employees) • Leads to community economic prosperity • Natural collaboration between Workforce Readiness & Entrepreneurship • Skills gained from WR can prepare youth to be successful Entrepreneurs. • Research shows that these program areas contribute to the overall well being and healthy development of youth.

7. Sample Activity… • The Interview

8. Importance of Youth/Adult Partnerships… • The research on Youth/Adult Partnerships: • Youth benefit from partnerships with adults when they are seen as individuals who are competent and able to contribute to important decisions that impact their communities. • Associated with a decrease in risk behaviors, stronger communication skills and leadership experience, increased status and stature in the community, and improved competencies and self-esteem. • Youth-targeted programs that involve youth in the program design, implementation, and evaluation stages are inclined toward increased relevancy and effectiveness.

9. Sample Activity… • Two truths and a Lie

10. Key Elements of Model…

11. Implementation… • Funded with a $15,000 grant to develop a statewide EWR training model. • A needs assessment survey was administered via Zoomerang to 4-H educators. • Recruited and trained EWR 4-H youth/adult teams from Baltimore City, Montgomery and Baltimore counties. (Tier 1) • The EWR youth/adult teams participated in Train-the-Trainer Workshops and team building activities between June-October. Curricula included: • “Be the E” Entrepreneurship and Getting into the Act along with other supporting training, resources and materials. • EWR youth/adult teams lead statewide training reaching 16 youth and 31 adults, representing 11 counties/city. (Tier 2)

12. Implementation Continued… • 7 youth/adult teams, representing 5 counties/city were awarded mini-grants to implement programs in their local communities with an intended reach of 200 youth/adults (Tier 3) • Overview of the different EWR Models within the mini-grant proposals: • Camp • Club • Afterschool Programs • Community Programs • Networking Activity

13. Outcomes and Evaluation… • Process Evaluation • What we learned about project implementation • Outcome Evaluation • What the teams learned and accomplished

14. EWR Process Evaluation… • Train the Trainer End of Session Responses • Relevant • High quality • Useful • Worthwhile • EWR Training for County/City Teams End of Session Responses • I learned a lot and it was a good experience. • Everything went very smoothly. • It was long, but worth it. • Very organized! Nice to see the teamwork. • Too much information in time allotted for training

15. EWR Outcomes… • Number of Youth/Adult Teams Trained • 3 Training Teams (11 youth & 5 adults) • 11 County/City Teams (16 youth & 31 adults) • Knowledge Assessment • Trainers and Trainees gained knowledge in the four key areas – Personality Traits, Workforce Readiness, Entrepreneurship, Facilitation (pre/post tests) • Knowledge Transfer • Mini-Grant Proposals submitted by 7 teams

16. Castellano, M., Stringfield S., & Stone III, J.R. (2003). Secondary career and technical education and comprehensive school reform: implications for research and practice. Review of Educational Research, 73(2), 231-272 Entwisle, D.R., Alexander, K.L., & Olson, L.S. (2000). Early work histories of urban youth. American Sociological Review 65(2), 279-297. Hughes, K.L., Bailey, T.R., & Karp, M.M. (2002). School-to-work: Making a difference in education. Phi Delta Kappan 84(4), 272-279. Israel, G.D., Beaulieu, L.J., & Hartless, G. (2001). The influence of family and community social capital on educational achievement. Rural Sociology 66(1), 43-68. Kauffman- The Foundation of Entrepreneurship. (2007). Young People Want to Be Their Own Boss to Realize Their Ideas. www.kauffman.org. March 25, 2009 National 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System, Inc. (2004). Be the “E” Entrepreneurship. National 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System, Inc. (2004). Get In the Act. Russel, S., Polen, N., & Hoffman Tepper, K. (2008). Building Partnerships for Youth.http://cals cf.calsnet.arizona.edu/. March 24, 2009 Schoenhals, M., Tienda, M. & Schneider, B. (1998). The educational and personal consequences of adolescent employment. Social Forces77(2), 723-7 Small Business Administration. (2008). www.sba.gov/advo. March 24, 2009. Resources…

17. Nia Imani Fields University of Maryland Cooperative Extension 410-666-1025 Nfields@umd.edu Kendra Wells University of Maryland Cooperative Extension 301-314-7317 klwells@umd.edu Alganesh Piechocinski University of Maryland Cooperative Extension 301-590-2804 algapie@umd.edu Manami Brown University of Maryland Cooperative Extension 410-856-1850 ext. 111 mbrown4@umd.edu Contact Information…