About New Ways Targeted Training and Technical Assistance


New Ways to Work provides targeted technical assistance, training, and facilitation support to local communities, youth-serving organizations, educational institutions, workforce development agencies, and youth in California and across the nation. New Ways specializes in a range of topics, including building local intermediary organizations; strengthening Youth Councils; increasing youth involvement; creating quality work-based learning systems; conducting community resource mapping; engaging employers effectively; and connecting education, social services, and workforce programs. New Ways also offers extensive strategic planning and program implementation supports.

New Ways is especially interested in supporting the development of sustainable systems that leverage local resources and create powerful partnerships among schools, the community, and the workplace.


The New Ways Approach

New Ways utilizes state-of-the-art process tools and organizational change methodologies commonly used in the private sector.

New Ways works closely with governmental entities, foundations, and local communities to design and implement strategies and solutions that address identified issues, problems, or priorities relating to youth and the institutions that serve them.

New Ways works with organizations and communities to design strategies that will engage leadership, practitioners, and other stakeholders in developing and implementing a solution.

New Ways then works to support implementation, ongoing improvement, and sustainability of the initiative and the system that supports them.


Trainings, Workshops, and Targeted Technical Assistance

New Ways' team of experienced practitioners can help your organization and community become centers of excellence for youth programs, services, and systems.

New Ways' Expertise

• Understanding and Building the Elements of a Comprehensive Youth-Serving System
• Coordinating Youth Services within your Community
• Promoting What You Do: Effective Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service
• Developing Partnerships to Reduce Duplication, Enhance Efficiency, and Leverage Resources
• Partnering with Education, Social Services, and/or Workforce Agencies
• Engaging Employers and Workplace Partners to Better Serve Youth
• Supporting Students and Youth with Quality Work-Based Learning
• Applying Youth Development Principles in your Program
• Involving Youth in Organizational Planning, Policy, and Decision-Making
• Youth Resource Mapping: Demographics, Public Opinion, Funding, Activities, and Services
• Using Data and Evaluation to Improve Programs ad Services for Youth
• Understanding and Addressing Young Worker Legal, Health, and Safety issues
  

Strategic Planning Support

New Ways' systems approach focuses on building community capacity. New Ways will work with your organization and your partners to help you clarify the issues, work with the people in your community to design innovative approaches, apply new strategies, and implement solutions. New Ways also supports your ongoing improvement processes and sustainability activities.

Some recent examples of community work include the following projects:

• Work Readiness Certificates - New Ways has supported local and county school districts in developing integrated career development systems and connecting vocational and career-technical education to local economic development activities and academic standards. For example, New Ways is working with the Sonoma County Office of Education and Sonoma County's Youth Council to develop a county-wide, industry-driven, Work-Readiness Certificate for all youth within their county.
• Community Resources Mapping - New Ways has worked with and managed several community resource mapping projects across California. Most recently, the San Diego Youth Mapping Project was designed to support improving education and employment services available for youth by identifying existing services and gaps across San Diego County. New Ways managed the project with partners Public Works, Inc., the San Diego Futures Foundation, and the Social Behavioral Research Institute at CSU San Marcos.
• Strategic Planning and Capacity Building - New Ways has worked with over 20 of the 50 local Youth Councils across the state, individually and regionally, to facilitate their efforts to build comprehensive youth-serving systems. The topics have included engaging workplace partners, promoting youth leadership and involvement, serving special populations, connecting to education and social service partners, coordinating youth services, and planning strategically to support functions of the local Youth Council.

For more information about New Ways training and targeting technical assistance, see What New Ways Can Do For You (PDF 44 kb).

For more information, or to discuss how New Ways can work with your organization, contact: info@newwaystowork.org.