Research Findings 

For my capstone project, I wanted to figure out what really helps foster youth get ready for jobs and what’s still missing. I created three tools for the Career Launchpad:

A Career Launchpad website, a one-stop virtual bulletin board with free employment trainings, career exploration tools, a career interest profiler, resume writing tips, and interview dos and don’ts.

A Job Readiness course on Canvas, designed specifically for youth and young adults in foster care. Even though it’s asynchronous, it encourages peer interaction, something many youth said they wanted.

A training for social workers and providers on how to coach youth through interviews and help them prepare.

But I didn’t just want to make these tools. I wanted to find out if they were actually useful. So, I asked young adults who had aged out of foster care to try them out and give feedback. I also dug into research studies to see how my findings compared to what’s already known.

Survey Results: What’s in the Way

I surveyed 20 young adults, ages 18 to 23, who had been in foster care. Here’s what they told me:

No one to help: Most said they didn’t have support to figure out jobs or careers.

Mental health struggles: Anxiety, depression, and stress made it hard to focus on work.

Unstable housing: If you’re not sure where you’re sleeping, it’s hard to job hunt.

Not feeling ready: Some had tried resumes or interviews before, but without enough support.

When I asked what would have helped, they said:

A trusted adult to guide them

Resume and interview kits

One place to go for all job-related help

Having peer group job classes

Peer support groups 

Better training for social workers to help with job readiness

Most youth answered mental health support

These findings line up with research. Henig (2009) says foster youth need long-term career mentoring. Cunningham et al. (2019) explain that former foster youth often lack strong social support systems. Henson, Schelbe, and Lee (2024) add that caregivers and workers need better training to support youth aging out of care.

Focus Group: Did the Tools Help?

Next, I ran a focus group with four young adults and two social workers. 

They tested my tools and shared their thoughts:

They wished they had these resources earlier
They liked the visual and interactive design
Social workers said it would help them better support youth
Everyone agreed these tools should be shared widely
They also stressed that it’s better to learn with others, they didn’t want to figure everything out alone

That need for group learning and support was a big takeaway. It matches research from Zinn (2015), who found that long-term support matters more than short-term training. Okpych and Courtney (2020) also found that strong adult relationships and access to programs lead to better outcomes.

Designing Tools That Actually Help

I used learning theories and design methods to make sure these tools were built in a way that would actually help:

Constructivist learning: Youth connect lessons to their real lives.

Social learning: They learn best from others, so I included peer videos and group activities.

Active learning and reflection: Resume and interview activities ask youth to think about their strengths.

ADDIE model and Kirkpatrick’s Levels: I followed the ADDIE instructional design model, and the focus group feedback fits into Levels 1 and 2 (reaction and learning) of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model.

Limitations

While creating the Career Launchpad tools and gathering feedback, I identified some important limitations. My survey included 20 young adults and my focus group had only four youth and two workers, so the sample size was small and may not fully represent all foster youth experiences. Feedback was based on short-term use of the tools, so I wasn’t able to measure long-term outcomes like actual job attainment or career growth. Participants were also volunteers, meaning they might have been more motivated than youth who are harder to reach. Even though the Job Readiness course encourages peer interaction, it’s still asynchronous, and some youth stressed wanting even more live group learning opportunities. Another limitation is access, not all foster youth have consistent internet or technology to use online resources easily. And finally, while these tools focus on career readiness, barriers like mental health struggles, unstable housing, and lack of adult support are bigger systemic challenges that Career Launchpad alone can’t solve. To maximize the impact, it’s important for programs and agencies to not only adopt and implement these tools, but also truly buy into them by integrating Career Launchpad into their services, providing staff training, and actively supporting youth as they navigate career exploration and job readiness. 

Despite these limitations, the project showed clear potential to make a real difference and it highlights how critical it is to offer community, connection, and long-term support alongside job readiness.

References 

Cunningham, M., Pergamit, M., & Baumgartner, S. (2019). Supporting youth transitioning out of foster care. Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org

Dworsky, A., Napolitano, L., & Courtney, M. (2013). Homelessness during the transition from foster care to adulthood. American Journal of Public Health, 103(S2), S318–S323. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301455           

Henig, R. (2009). Twice removed: Child welfare and the pursuit of permanence for youth in foster care. Columbia University Press.

Henson et al. (2024). Bridging the gap: Preparing caregivers to support youth aging out of foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 153, 106055 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.106055

Okpych, N. J., & Courtney, M. E. (2020). The Midwest evaluation of the adult functioning of former foster youth: Outcomes at age 26. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. https://www.chapinhall.org

Zinn, A. (2015). Transitional jobs and job training: A review of the evidence for former foster youth. Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre