Our Program

 

Our Model

Bridge to Employment runs three-year college & career readiness programs at the community level. BTE values local leadership, so each site tailors the program to the particular needs of their community, while the BTE program model ensures common pillars are included across sites. Our model is three-phase:

Start-up

Close partnerships are critical to BTE’s success. Therefore, all local BTE programs include four key partners:

  • Local Operating Company (J&J Site Champions)
  • Secondary School(s)
  • Institution(s) of Higher Education
  • Community-based Organization (Site Coordinators)

Once the partners are all engaged, they come together for an intensive strategic planning session to determine the specific elements of their BTE site program. This plan can be revised annually in response to a program evaluation and participant input. Next, 35- 50 students in their last three years of secondary school are selected for the program. Teachers, the broader secondary school community, and Johnson & Johnson employees also participate in the program, volunteering, joining training workshops, providing support for participants, and much more.

Implementation

Each BTE program employs four strategies:

  • Academic Enrichment
  • Career Readiness & Exploration
  • Post-Secondary Education Exploration & Preparation
  • Community Engagement & Youth Leadership

While each program is customized to its local community, BTE provides a library of resources, and sites learn from each other’s experiences through quarterly calls and BTE’s annual Alliance Building & Training Session. Common program activities may include:

  • Academic Tutoring
  • Science Laboratories & Applied Learning Projects
  • Curriculum Development & Teacher Externships
  • Camps & Out-of-School Programming
  • Company Tours
  • Guest Lectures
  • Career Coaching
  • Mentorship
  • Skills Workshops
  • College Preparation & Application Support
  • College Tours & Tasters
  • Dual/Concurrent Enrollment in Post-Secondary Education
  • Service Learning

Sustainability

Sites have the option to continue the BTE program with new groups of students after their initial three-year program. BTE works with site partners to identify which aspects of the program should be sustained. Through workshops, sites can develop a sustainability model, think practically about partners and resources needed to sustain BTE’s impact, and develop the workplan for the path launching a self-sustaining site. Site Coordinators can learn more about sustaining their site here.