Jobs for Michigan Graduates at River Rouge High School: Providing a Pathway to College and Career Readiness

What does it mean to be college and career ready? More importantly, what do students need to get there? Individual drive, parental support, and a quality school system all help, but some students still face significant challenges to completing high school. Providing every student with high-quality education to prepare for academic, career, and lifelong success is one of the goals of the SEMCOG/MAC economic development strategy.

National high school graduation rates for public schools in 2014-2015 were 83.2 percent — higher than Michigan rates at 79.8 percent. For low-income students however, the discrepancy was even greater: 76.1 percent for the U.S. and 67.5 percent for Michigan. Lack of a high school diploma is a critical barrier to academic and career opportunities.

Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates (JMG) is the state affiliate of a national dropout prevention and recovery program. It helps students transition to post-secondary education and careers by helping them overcome barriers such as low basic skills, transportation, and workplace readiness. There are now 38 programs serving 25 communities across the state with a 95 percent graduation rate.

JMG programs are sponsored by school districts, workforce development agencies, and community-based organizations to meet the needs of local students. SEMCA Michigan Works, the workforce development agency for out-Wayne and Monroe counties, sponsors a number of JMG programs at its service centers, including a new multi-year, in-school program at River Rouge High School. The program just completed its first year with a full-time JMG Specialist. Of the seniors participating, 93 percent graduated last week.

Pat LeBlanc, Director of Youth programs at SEMCA, Michigan Works! worked closely with JMG Specialist Jerry Tait to expose students to careers through field trips to various employers including engineering, manufacturing, and retail firms as well as law enforcement agencies. There were also education visits to Washtenaw Community College, Eastern Michigan University, and Baker College. The Leadership team also participated in the annual JMG Conference in Lansing and the Lansing Legislators Day, where they met and heard from legislators.

Students at Link Engineering in Plymouth on Manufacturing Day 2016

One of the main reasons for the success of the program is the full-time specialist who has been mentoring and supporting the students. Jerry Tait is a former teacher and administrator with more than 20 years of experience. He says the main benefit of the JMG program for River Rouge students is that it provides “the option to learn more about career opportunities in specialized areas outside of attending a traditional four-year university or college.”

He says that the program made positive progress in improving participants’ college readiness, job placement and employment training, life skills, and student leadership development. “They are also building on their skills in interviewing, resume writing, and other interpersonal skills as young adults,” said Tait. Members of the Leadership Team put some of their “soft skills” on display when presenting their experiences to the SEMCA Workforce Development Board recently.

The River Rouge JMG Leadership Team with JMG Specialist Jerry Tait and SEMCA Youth Programs leaders Patricia LeBlanc (right) and Mihaela Fodor (left).

LeAndrew Jefferson, President of the River Rouge JMG Leadership Team, believes there should be a JMG class in every classroom, because students do not always have time to participate in after school programs because of other commitments. He says JMG provides “an alternative to school to prison or school to street.”

He feels that JMG provided him with the confidence to apply and be admitted to a number of universities including the University of Michigan. He will be attending Virginia Military Institute in the fall. Vice President Derrick Cummings will be attending the United States Marine Corps. The other members of the leadership group are still deciding which of their options to select, but look forward to a positive future thanks to the JMG program.

Funding for JMG programs comes from various sources. These include the State of Michigan, employer foundations, and the business community. Walmart recently gave the statewide program a grant of $100,000 to continue its efforts.

You can find more information about bringing a JMG program to your community by visiting the JMG website.