STEP-UP Logic Model

Inputs

This logic model presents inputs as both strengths and challenges to the STEP-UP program. Some inputs are strengths, some are challenges, and some are inherently both.

• AchieveMpls and City of Minneapolis Staff

• Minneapolis youth

• Finances – Financial growth, city base of support, strength of the program proposal to private funders

• Youth employers

• Supervisors and volunteers

• High profile program co-chairs

• Relationship with the City of Minneapolis

• Relationship to Minneapolis Public Schools

• Reputation and brand

• Support from Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce

• Additional established partners

• Current employment opportunity and achievement gaps in the Twin Cities

• Low staff intervention with high reliance on volunteer supervisors with employer partners (ability to serve many students, but varied quality across supervisors)

• Program addresses a high-profile issue

• Coherent, well-designed program model

• Varied length of program participation (e.g. 1 or multiple summers)

Activities

• Youth Activities

  • Student recruitment

  • General, tiered work readiness training

  • Internship placement

  • Student support during internships

  • Specialized career training and events (e.g. Google, Financial Services, Scrubs Camp, PETH, SLI, MBV, Outdoor)

  • Internship enrichments (e.g. financial education, Golden Gopher day, Camp Sunrise)

  • Certification trainings (e.g. IT, CNA)

  • Weekly classes for Discover youth

• Employer Activities

  • Recruitment of employer partners and positions

    • Orientation and support for supervisors

• Systems Building

  • Private Partnerships/Pipelines

    • Organizing within specific sectors to develop coordinated and collective approaches to career education and preparation

    • Creating and implementing best practices for employee supervision

  • Minneapolis Public Schools

    • Creating credited work experience

    • Aligning training credentials

    • Develop and align school year internships with MPS

  • Citywide Youth Employment

    • Aligning training and credentials across youth employment program

Outputs

• Youth Outputs

  • 4,000 youth apply

  • 2,000 youth complete Work-Readiness training

    • 1,000 Achieve

    • 1,000 Discover

  • 850 Achieve and 650 Discover internships

  • 300 interns complete specialized career trainings

  • 140 attend extra enrichments

  • 30 inters professionally certified (with credential)

  • 40 interns earn Work-Based Learning credit employment progams

  • $2.6 million in student wages earned annually

  • 500 youth receive academic elective credits

  • 650 interns attend weekly classes

• Employer Outputs

  • Over 220 companies, 600 supervisors employ/support STEP-UP interns

• Systems Building

  • Private Partnerships

    • 5 pipeline committees of 5+ partners fully engaged

    • Strategy/framework for pipeline activities; activity planning and resourcing

  • MPS, other providers

    • Work and training experience recognized across programs

    • Alignment of applications, training, employment

Outcomes

Youth outcomes are presented roughly in order from immediate outcomes to more distal outcomes.

• Demonstration of improved attitude

• Satisfaction of experience

• Increase in work-related skills

• Increase in occupational or professional knowledge

• Improvement in future orientation

• Improvement in 'soft skills' (e.g. teamwork, communication)

• Youth have larger and more professional networks

• Improved academic outcomes

• Improved school attendance

• Improved school behavior

• Improved school engagement

• Increase in graduation rates

• Increase in college or other post-secondary enrollment

• Increase in college persistence and obtaining a post-secondary degree

• Increase in employment rates

• Increase in earnings

Impact

• A more diverse and skilled workforce in entry-level professional careers, particularly in the targeted pipeline areas.

• Students of the program have high wages, high quality occupations and high qualities of life

• Employers of STEP-UP students are more prepared to employ a more diverse workforce.