Jobs for America's Graduates works to continue expansion across Indiana

A state-based, national workforce development organization is expanding its programs to more classrooms across Indiana in hopes to provide more opportunities for students.

Jobs for America’s Graduates, or JAG, is a national organization that develops education-based programs to prepare students in middle school through college for the workforce. JAG students also receive adult mentoring while in school and a one year follow-up of counseling after graduation.

Last year, Indiana’s JAG chapter announced plans to double the number of programs in the state from 125 to 250 by the end of the 2024-25 school year. There are currently more than 200 active JAG programs in the state.

Brianna Morse is the director of youth initiatives and field support at the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, which oversees the state JAG programs. According to Morse, the expansion could help JAG gain more recognition and in turn, help more students learn about — and prepare for — available opportunities.

"It really is providing more than anything, opportunities for kids to do good things and to learn the skills that they're going to need after school," Morse said. "And there really aren't a lot of other programs out there in our state or otherwise that do it in such an intensive and intentional way as JAG does."

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Last school year, 97 percent of JAG Indiana participants graduated high school, which was nearly 10 percent higher than the state average. Additionally, the JAG class of 2024 accumulated more than $20 million in scholarships.

Morse attributes this success to those who are teaching the classes; she said they are the ones motivating students and connecting them to resources.

Timoria is our labor and employment reporter. Contact her at tcunningham@wfyi.org.