J4NG gains grant to fund workforce programs

Jobs for Nevada’s Graduates, a statewide nonprofit, has received a $725,000 federal grant to launch a Workforce Pathways for Youth Program.

Gov. Steve Sisolak, a JAG national board member, has commended J4NG for achieving impressive success rates, including a 97.3% graduation rate and a 92% full-time job rate after high school, as well as J4NG’s value in being a highly effective graduation and workforce development tool in both frontier, rural and urban schools across Nevada.

“The J4NG program has proven to achieve some of the highest success rates with its students across the state, which shows that Nevada’s youth are some of the most capable, hard-working and talented of their peers,” Sisolak said. “With this federal grant funding, J4NG will be able to connect even more youth in every corner of the state to jobs and career training opportunities, ensuring that more young Nevadans enter our workforce as skilled workers who will help drive Nevada’s growing, diverse economy.”

“Ever dedicated to educational excellence, Governor Sisolak merits tremendous recognition for his vision of using J4NG as a data-driven, highly effective strategy to raise educational outcomes for all Nevada youth,” said René Cantú, executive director of J4NG. “Students are at the forefront of every J4NG effort, and our hard-working and dedicated students deserve the credit for the positive outcomes that they have achieved with the support of our trained and talented specialists who are embedded in schools throughout the state.”

This grant funding will enable J4NG to make more connections with Nevada’s youth through the Workforce Pathways for Youth Program and will lead to more students achieving graduation, preparing for college and finding excellent careers.

The grant is designed to support out-of-school time programs and will allow J4NG to connect more youth to apprenticeships, certificate programs, internships, job training and post-secondary training, thus facilitating the ability of students to find a career pathway that provides a livable wage and upward mobility.

Under the Jobs for America’s Graduates umbrella, Nevada, Ohio, Michigan and California have joined forces to address the opportunity loss and disengagement that out-of-school youth have suffered during COVID on a national scale. This initiative, spanning three years of service and totaling nearly $5 million will help Nevada’s youth refocus and recommit to succeeding in the career pathway of their choice.