Education and Career Connections (ECC) is a WIOA Youth Program that was founded in 2020. We serve 16-24-year-old Philadelphia residents without a high school diploma. The goals of the program is to help YOU earn your GED/high school diploma, complete an in-person work experience (internship), and connect YOU to post-secondary opportunities or enter employment.
GED preparation is done 16 hours a week with master's level teachers from Beyond Literacy who is the education partner for the program. The teachers will tutor YOU in Math, Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies. Office hours will also be available for additional support.
Participating in the Fall or Spring cohorts and completing an 8-week in person internship, in a demand industry, can earn YOU a biweekly check. The hourly wage for the in-person internship is $12 an hour.
Additionally, YOU can receive financial incentives by completing career readiness workshops during the cohorts. Workshops include creating a resume, participating in mock interviews, learning about the college admissions process, learning about and completing the FAFSA, learning about training programs that lead to an industry recognized credential, and receive support from your career advisors.
Once YOU have earned your GED and completed a paid work experience our career advisor will help YOU transition to post-secondary options, enroll in a registered apprenticeship, or enter employment. Support services and incentives are available to encourage the completion of program goals.