MCCC Exceeds FY 2000 GED Goal
Go to MCCC, get a scholarship
MCCC and the Job Corps, what a combo
MCCC and Montgomery Youth Works
Corps and the National Park service

MCCC Exceeds FY 2000 GED Goal

Last July, there wasn't much optimism that the MCCC would achieve its FY 2000 goal of seven GED's (General Educational Equivalency).  The reason being that more and more applicants entering the program were testing below the GED level of study during the past two years.  And in fact that pessimism persisted for the first half of the fiscal year.  However, eventually, not only did the MCCC meet its annual goal, but actually exceeded it with eight corpsmemebers earning their GED.

Let me put this effort into perspective.  Fifty-seven young adults enrolled into the program in FY 2000 of which 44 didn’t complete high school which constitutes 77 percent of the total MCCC enrollment.  Of those 44 drop-outs, six tested at the ESOL level, 13 at the pre-GED level and the remaining 25 fell into the GED training level.  Generally, it is unrealistic for individuals testing at the pre-GE or ESOL levels to attain their GED within a year which is the maximum time in the MCCC program for a corps member.  Even so, most corps member falling into the pre-GED level move to the GED level of training after spending a year at the MCCC.  With more study, many will eventually earn their GED in the several years after graduating the MCCC program.   Therefore, of the 25 who tested at the GED study level in FY 2000, nine earned their GED or 36 percent which is noticeably above the national average from a comparable young adult development program.

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Go to MCCC, Get a Scholarship

The hard work of the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC) and 24 corps across the country including the MCCC finally paid off. We were approved by the Corporation for National Service for the Americorps Educational Award Only Grant last April. Particular appreciation goes out to Harry Bruell, Vice President of Field Services for NASCC for his leadership in getting this grant approved. 

What this means for the service and conservation corps that applied for the grant is scholarship money for corps members completing these programs. For the MCCC, it means those corps members completing 900 hours of basic program training and service or 1,700 hours of advanced program training and service will receive $2,350 and $4,725 respectively to help pay for future college or trade school tuition. 

The Americorps program, which was developed by the Clinton administration and approved by Congress in 1994, funds volunteer service and conservation programs primarily engaging young Americans to devote a year of their life helping their communities.  The Montgomery County Police Department also has an Amercorps funded volunteer program.

Unlike the above mentioned Americorps programs, the Education Only Award grant will not support or directly benefit the MCCC program itself, but rather will benefit corps member after they complete the program.   This new incentive already has dramatically impacted MCCC program recruitment as well as overall program participant retention not to mention the career opportunity for Montgomery County youth unable to afford higher education.

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MCCC and the Job Corps: What a Combo

An exciting development for the Montgomery County Conservation Corps (MCCC) is the recent partnership forged with the Woodland Job Corps Center.  Actually, Phillip Robinson, Community Outreach Director for Adams Associates, Inc. which operates the two Maryland Job Corps Centers, approached MCCC Director Walter Wolfe last fall with an offer to co-enroll our corps members with the Woodland Job Corps Center. 

The Woodland Job Corps Center located just outside Laurel, Maryland, is one of nearly 100 federally funded Job Corps centers across the country.  Of course, many of us are aware that Job Corps has been training youth for careers since 1964. Anyway, nearly all of the Job Corps centers are residential programs. Like other centers, Woodland offers its students a smorgasbord of marketable job skills training in the health care, construction and maintenance trades, food, automation, retail, hotel and other industries. Students also can study for their GED. Additionally, Job Corps students are afforded a range of benefits such as monthly stipends, retention and performance bonuses, a clothing allowance, a job transition account, health care job preparation, placement and post-program follow-up.  These cash incentives could add up to as much as $150 extra a month for our corps members. 

Because Congress recently directed Job Corps to expand its services to non­residential customers, the Woodland Job Corps Center has been seeking new partners like the MCCC. The partnership is a great deal for our corps members. Once they are co-enrolled with the Woodland Job Corps Center (after a minimum of 45 days in the MCCC), they will receive all of the above benefits while continuing training and working at the MCCC. 

While the Woodland Job Corps non-financial agreement does not immediately add any resources to the MCCC program infrastructure, I, nonetheless, see nothing but opportunity here. First, our corps members will earn badly needed extra income.  Second, I believe Job Corps co-enrollment will act as an incentive leading to improved program retention as well as better corps member time and attendance. Third, the renowned Job Corps employment preparation, job placement and post-program follow-up services will significantly help the MCCC realize its goal of finding a well-paying, career job for every program graduate.  Finally, there is a prospect of eventually obtaining a part-time or full time job as a corps counselor to work at the MCCC facility.

Corps and the Job Corps

For students and parents looking to get more information on Job Corps and how to sign-up:  http://www.jobcorpsregion2.com/

For members of the community looking for more information on Job Corps:  http://www.jobcorps.org

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Montgomery Youth Works Partnership

If you are between the ages of 15 and 21 and live in Montgomery County, you’re invited to interview with Montgomery Youth Works, an employment service that screens, assesses, trains, matches and places young people with employment options in their area. 

Since 1996, Montgomery Youth Works has helped thousands of qualified young people find rewarding positions with hundreds of businesses in the county.  These young people work in a wide range of industries: finance, hospitality, consulting, maintenance, food service, publishing, construction, health care, landscaping, life sciences, insurance, government, recreation, law, retailing, education, information systems, research, printing, e-commerce, real estate and more! 

Click onto the Montgomery Youth Works web site to learn about Montgomery Youth Works’ diverse programs.

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CORPS AND NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PARTNERSHIP
Gazette Newspapers, Oct. 16, 1998

On June 6, 1998, The Montgomery County Conservation Corps along with the Maryland Conservation Corps and the Student Conservation Corps participated in a press conference announcing a new partnership between the US National Park Service and The National Association of Services and Conservation Corps called "Corps to Public Lands." In 1998 36 corps programs received funding for crews to work in national parks across the country. The MCCC worked on the C&O National Park.

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