The document evaluates the effectiveness of Youth Symposium programs through surveys of student perspectives. It discusses 10 Youth Symposiums held in various New Jersey counties in October-November 2014 that targeted freshmen and sophomore high school students. The goal was to provide career exploration opportunities in New Jersey's key industries and information on career readiness and post-secondary education options. Survey results found that programs in Burlington/Cumberland were most positively received by students for being engaging, informative, and influential. However, limitations included small sample sizes and not being able to determine causal relationships from the cross-sectional survey data. Recommendations included improving student and teacher preparation, collecting pre-test data on student interests, and streamlining the

1. Youth Symposium Program Evaluation By: Soumya Prasad Site Preceptors: Padma Arvind, NJHCTN Director; Fidelia Pokuah, SMLR Program Coordinator; State Employment Training Commission(SETC)
Analyze effectiveness & impact of Youth Symposium programs through evaluation of surveys with strong concentration on student perspective
Use findings as target for future improvements and sustainability of youth symposiums
SETC & NJDOE awarded grants to competitive local WIB’s
Provide career information & tools for students on NJ’s key industries & educational pathways
Grant period: June 1, 2014 – October 31, 2014
Target: freshmen & sophomores HS students, with min. 125 students from at-risk schools. (Priority focus: At-Risk - schools with high drop out rate)
Key stakeholders: Youth Investment Council, Workforce Investment Boards (WIB), industry employers, Talent Networks
Encourage schools to recruit freshmen & sophomore HS students for local youth symposium
Provide students opportunity to explore career options within NJs 7 key industries
Provide learning opportunities for increasing knowledge of career readiness, employability skills, and higher education
Provide professional development opportunities for school staff
Provide follow up career awareness information & material to reinforce symposium learning
Outcomes
Acknowledgement : NJ DOL Talent Network Directors; SETC & Mr. Kirk Lew; NJ DOL AREA WIB Directors
October -November 2014, 10 Youth Symposiums with various county HS
Program leaders organized various symposium structures to meet needs of their students
Organizers developed & distributed survey instruments at end of each symposium
Survey results data entered and descriptive and thematic analysis conducted
Purpose
Youth Symposium Goals
Discussion
Significance
Methodology
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Atlantic: program not well received
Burlington/Cumberland: future programs should be modeled after these due to positive response rate among students
Overall, interactive symposium structure well received by students – engaging & informative Limitations:
Sample size, and representativeness
Cross-sectional nature of data - causal relationships not indicated. However, evaluation shows positive results of increasing awareness to students
Time restriction for survey data collection Conclusion and Recommendations:
Pre-symposium expectation prep of students & teachers/staff; more time for planning & NGO responses
Pre-test students interests and provide data on them
Talent Network should maintain consultative role
Comprehensive follow-up & streamline survey tool across schools
Atlantic/Cape May (26 Surveys)
•Participants did not fully answer survey questions. Most felt event was supposed to be a job fair rather than workshops
Burlington (148 Surveys)
•50% indicated interest in Healthcare, Technology- Entrepreneurship industries; majority stated event beneficial with influential speakers & information. Students showed interest in learning more about different career options
Cumberland/ Salem (88 Surveys)
•50% agreed content useful for professional & personal development. Majority indicated affinity for World Café format
Mercer (166 Surveys)
•80% indicated event beneficial & well organized. Students provided positive feedback for Social Media presentation; Hospitality, Retail, & Tourism and Financial Services Talent Network