Helping San Francisco High School Students Find Opportunity

Starting today, we'll be assisting approximately 35 area youth to conduct an inventory of growth industries in San Francisco to assess future workforce need. These employers will be interviewed to determine their interest in helping develop their future workforce by providing opportunities for students to learn via hands-on internships. These youth participate in career-themed, college-focused Academies sponsored by the National Academy Foundation that are housed within various high schools in the San Francisco Unified School District. Through this youth directed mapping project, supported by The James Irvine Foundation, these young people will interview employers and conduct focus groups to collect detailed information about the priority needs of the current labor market.

Once the data from the inventory has been collected, the next step will be to enter the information into a Web-based data management system and utilize Geographic Information Software (GIS) to analyze gaps. The results of this effort will be communicated to business, government and community leaders in San Francisco in Fall, 2009.