Corps-to-Career

The purpose of the Corps to Career program is to keep youth on track with their educational goals and to provide recruitment, case management, job training and job placement services to youth enrolled at Urban Corps of San Diego. These critical services provide continuity and direction for youth who are enrolled in the program and who work on public service projects throughout San Diego such as recycling, tree planting, graffiti removal, community improvement services, and habitat restoration. The Program ensures that youth stay on course with their vocational and educational goals while at Urban Corps and after graduation. The Corps-to-Career Curriculum assists youth in obtaining their class B and class C driving licenses, includes safety and vocational job training, job readiness, life skills and self-esteem training. The latter requires participants to attend on-site seminars to learn how to complete resumes, cover letters, application forms, conduct mock interviews with peers and private sector employees, personal hygiene, stress management, conflict resolution, punctuality, reliability, cultural awareness, appropriate behavior and interpersonal relationships.

The Corps-to-Career Department uses Performance Management Software called Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) by Social Solutions to track the academic and workforce development skills acquired by Corpsmembers. ETO helps staff monitor overall program success rates. On average 80 percent of Corpsmembers graduate from Urban Corps with either full-time employment or enrollment in post-secondary education.