• Description

Changes in workforce development policy are requiring employment programs to develop job retention strategies. This report looks at the Vocational Foundation, Inc. (VFI), one of New York Citys most respected employment programs for disadvantaged youth, and the principles that underlie its successful job retention program, Moving Up, a 24-month postplacement strategy for placing and keeping clients in jobs. VFI is one of only a handful of programs nationwide with a well-defined job retention strategy and an internal MIS system designed to track participant outcomes. The report describes in detail the elements of VFIs program, from recruitment and training to job placement and follow-up, and closes with nine principles of effective practice for workforce programs to consider as they develop their own retention efforts.