WANTO 5^th Year Grant—Awarded September 1998
Jobs Connections 2000

Job Connections 2000 is a collaborative effort of the Urban Family Institute, and its partners--Foundation for Education Innovation (FEI), Shiloh Family Life Center (SFLC) and Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW)--to build an infrastructure for linking Washington, DC area employers, unions and apprenticeship programs in the information technology and telecommunications industries to low-income, hard-to-employ women.

Job Connections 2000 will provide technical assistance to build the capacity of area employers and unions to recruit, retain, support and advance women in high technology jobs. To this end, Job Connections 2000 will also work with employment training and apprenticeship program providers to train women in the basic computer and life/foundation skills which are essential to increasing the placement and retention of low-income and hard-to-employ women in high-wage, entry-level telecommunications and information technology jobs.

Job Connections 2000 project activities will include:

• the assessment of employers', unions' and apprenticeship programs' recruitment and retention needs;
• the placement of 30 women in work sites;
• the development of employee mentor programs and a workers' network for women in information technology and telecommunications jobs; and
• regular follow-up to assess progress, mediate challenges, and permanently implement strategies to successfully replicate the project.

UFI is a nonprofit organization that emphasizes the welfare of children and families through several programs including a Family Investment Center, a complete multi-service center, a Community Academy for Learning and Kids House, a national training and assistance program to help community volunteers start educational enrichment programs. In addition to the Urban Family Institute, the other community-based partner organizations, FEI, SFLC and WOW, offer more than 30 years experience in providing advocacy, training, and policy development for the advancement of women in apprenticeship and other nontraditional occupations. UFI is a member of WOW's National Workforce Network.

Scheduled project completion date: December 1999

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