EASTCONN, in collaboration with New London Youth Affairs and Norwich Human Services, engages and prepares in-school youth from the Windham, Danielson, Norwich and New London area (aged 16-19, a high school juniors or seniors who meet the WOIA eligibility guidelines and have barriers to employment). The program provides a continuum of services using a case management model within a pipeline structure identifying career pathways for the delivery of year-round services. The premise of this program is linked to keeping the participant in school while providing direction and focus toward the world of education and work after high school graduation. Due to the individualization of the program, the year-round component of the program includes, but is not limited to:
An integral component of the COOL Directions program is the paid internship experience. The internship portion of the program is a continuation of year-round activities and allows the participant to put into practice his/her year-long learning specific to a pipeline. Participants will apply and be interviewed for individualized work site internships (up to 25 hours per week during the summer and between 6-15 hours per week during the school year) that are related to the youth’s career ladder/pipeline interests, and foster growth in work readiness skill development.
This program is sponsored by the Eastern Workforce Investment Board (EWIB) & EASTCONN.