Century Promise offers new path to employment for high school students

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Seniors in the Allentown School District will have a unique opportunity this year thanks to the work of Century Promise and a new state law. 

Century Promise, a local non-profit, is working with the school district and local businesses to teach students a job skill that, upon graduation, will guarantee them the job. 

The program is possible because Act 158, signed into law in 2018 by Gov. Tom Wolf, takes effect next year. The law enables families and educators to craft a pathway to graduation that moves beyond standardized testing, said Yusuf Dahl of Century Promise. 

“Act 158 offers a flexible range of innovative pathways that should bode well for students and the region’s economy,” he said. “For example, rather than a student’s graduation hinging on her ability to recall details from a Shakespearean passage, students can now meet statewide graduation requirements by completing an internship, acquiring an industry certification, and securing employment,” rather than taking the Keystone Exam.  

Dahl said Allentown School District was chosen for the pilot program because of the 17,000 students, 85% are Black or Latino, a typically underserved community.  

“We had the idea that if we could show them the real benefits of education through the guarantee of a job, we could change their behavior,” he said, referring to the dropout rate. 

“Minorities, particularly in our urban cores, have less access to opportunities and education. More than one in five non-whites and more than a quarter of Hispanics or Latinos do not have a high school diploma, compared to white residents, who are three times more likely to graduate from high school.”  

By integrating an interconnected set of career learning experiences into high school, these pathways allow graduates to gain professional job experience and earn a living wage before deciding whether a post-secondary degree is right for them.  

The program will start with 50 seniors this fall. Dahl said the pilot program will determine if Century Promise is on the right path.  

Amy Nyberg, senior vice president of Ambulatory Services for Lehigh Valley Health Network, thinks it is. 

“We are looking forward to being part of the program,” she said. “This is such an innovative program that enables high school students to get started in a career in a meaningful way.” 

“This flexibility could not be more timely for our region’s economy,” Dahl said. 

According to a Lehigh Valley 2021 High Priority Occupations list, only 37% demand an associate degree or higher. Most occupations only require some other form of post-secondary instruction, such as an industry certification or on-the-job training that can now be completed during high school. 

“We are working with local employers to train the students for jobs they have. We are looking at the health care, manufacturing and professional services industries,” explained Dahl, who noted that those are areas where the state Department of Labor data shows the greatest need. 

“It’s exciting to be able to open a new source for our workforce right here in our neighborhood,” Nyberg said. “The core of our services are right here in Allentown and we can match students with roles. We hope they will stay their entire career.” 

For the first year, Nyberg said, LVHN will offer clinical and non-clinical jobs. There will be openings for technicians who assist nurses in hospital and other settings, phlebotomists, and sterilization techs for the operating rooms and other areas where instruments are critical. 

In the non-clinical positions, she said students can choose medical receptionist, customer service and medical records jobs. 

“We will work with the students to introduce them to a variety of careers. We look at this as a stepping stone where the first job can lead them to others,” Nyberg said, citing tuition reimbursement programs through the network that will allow the students to continue with their education while working. 

Dahl said Lehigh Valley is in a unique position to lead this because it is big enough to have a diverse industry base and small enough that people care. 

“Leveraging Act 158 to strengthen our communities and support the growth of our economy will require eliminating the silos that have often divided K-12, traditional post-secondary institutions, and workforce and community development,” he said.  

“Creating alignment along the education employment pipeline will require collaboration with regional businesses and other community stakeholders to ensure the workforce pathways and industry credentials prepare students for in-demand careers and create employment opportunities that sustain families.”  

Seeded with an investment from The Century Fund, Century Promise is committed to harnessing innovative approaches and policies to ensure every student has the incentive to succeed, Dahl added. 

“Act 158 is a tremendous asset as we partner with employers and school districts to do more to help students access and secure professional opportunities by opening doors to networks, resources, and relationships that they would not otherwise have access to,” he said.