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the student population in the Santa Ana Unified School District. Nearly seventy -two percent are reported as <br />dropping out. These students leaving school without a diploma will limit their opportunities for personal and /or <br />professional success by not having the appropriate education or training for the labor force. It is known that <br />high school dropouts earn less wages, are more likely to commit crimes, and are considered less healthy both <br />physically and emotionally than students that graduate. Many jobs in the market require a high school diploma, <br />so that youth who do not graduate contribute to increasing unemployment rates among youth, juvenile arrests, <br />gang affiliation and births to teens, perpetuating the poverty cycle. <br />Lack of post - secondary education/ training: For students who do earn a high school diploma, many do not <br />enroll in post- secondary institutions. Instead, they enter the workforce to assist their families financially. But <br />with limited education, training, and/or experience it is difficult to find employment with sustainable earnings. <br />As a result many youth become frustrated with their current situation and resort to substance and /or drug abuse <br />for an escape. Additionally, students who do enroll in post- secondary education are often first generation <br />students and therefore have difficulties adjusting to the role of college student. Students are often unaware of <br />the resources on campus available to assist them with the completion of their degree. Therefore many students <br />perform poorly and eventually drop out of college. <br />F. How will your agency address the barriers that youth encounter? <br />The "Seeds to Trees" program plans to recruit youth with barriers to employment, educational advancement, <br />and a successful future. The Seeds to Trees program will supports students by providing resources, knowledge <br />and /or informational tools to find personal connections for educational and local workforce opportunities. <br />Students will attend or partake in various activities to enhance their educational, employment and life skills. <br />Youth who are TABS tested and determined basic skills deficient will be provided with one -on -one tutoring in <br />order to assist them improve the skills that they are deficient in. All youth participants will be provided with <br />valuable work experience via internships and externships opportunities offered by the Seeds to Trees Academy. <br />Youth participants who are drop -outs or in danger of dropping out will be enrolled in the SAC school of <br />continuing education high school diploma or GED completion program and will be provided with one -on -one <br />tutoring to assist them with classes. All youth participants will be provided work training leading to state <br />recognized certificates in computer maintenance and repair or general clerical as well as industry recognized <br />certificates in customer service and digital media disciplines. To address the barriers to post - secondary <br />education, all youth will be enrolled into Santa Ana College, and will be provided specialized college course <br />training leading to college credits upon completion. <br />Given the dramatic 13% decline in the employment prospects of American Teens recently reported by the <br />Brooking Institutions, it is vital that training program offer flexible education models that can adapt to changing <br />needs of employers. Their report found that many of these workers would face permanent effects of being <br />locked out of the job market. Per the research findings in the report we believe that our MOOC pilot program <br />cohorts can help to link high school students to post - secondary educational credentials. Furthermore these <br />courses will help to strengthen career and technical education opportunities in industry specific areas. These <br />educational opportunities provide a way for high school dropouts to receive advance training in industry related <br />fields. An additional benefit of these courses is that they are highly adaptable to local job market conditions and <br />can be tailored to the regional labor market as the Brookings institution suggests <br />IV. Employment <br />A. Specify how your agency will help youth attain employment. <br />EXHIBIT A <br />