How might we design an effective assesment tool to connect (opportunity) youth to work?

During my graduate residency at UIC Innovation Center I had the opportunity to work with THRIVE, a data-based non-profit that “envisions a Chicago where Black and Brown youth are equipped and empowered to define their own purpose and path, and where systems support positive and equitable youth outcomes at scale.” They approached our design research team with the intention of developing a digital literacy program for opportunity youth_[1] in the south and west sides of Chicago. We conducted several interviews with THRIVE’s youth advisory board, where there was near universal consensus that a household sustainable wage was the primary concern among young people and their families. Many felt alienated by entry level job postings with educational requirements, unable to access reliable transportation, and expressed difficulty translating unconventional experiences (baby-sitting, peer tutoring) into work requirements. We reframed the project scope to better reflect the need of the community, “How might we design an effective tool to assess skills in order to connect (opportunity) youth to work?”

_[1] Opportunity youth are young people who are between the ages of 16 to 24 years old and are disconnected from school and work; https://youth.gov/youth-topics/opportunity-youth

Research Interviews
We shared our initial findings with THRIVE and their employment partners; Verizon, NW Medicine, After School Matters, Ferrero Rocher, One Summer Chicago, and McDonalds. After a series of interviews, we found employers had similar challenges when actively recruiting opportunity youth. Hiring managers and directors stated they were looking for soft skills apart from conventional entry level requirements. Erin Cohan from NW Medicine stated “I'm looking for things that I can't teach... do they fit with the team? Do they align with our values? They should be able to tell their story…” With these youth and employer insights, we began looking for a “match-fit” assessment tool that could identify latent skills to fit entry level requirements of employment partners. Employers would define key words and traits needed to fulfill entry level positions, while youth would take an assessment to define skillsets that the employer would need. Community based non-profits (THRIVE’s regional employment HUB) would facilitate the introduction of candidates best suited for available job openings.



Insights

• Youth need opportunity investment.
  
• Employers need diverse candidate investment.
  
• Employer needs and youth needs are more similar than they are different.
  
• Simplify the process of connecting youth to jobs through an assessment tool: questions that identifies key words that enable a "match fit" between jobs and candidates.

Assesment Tool

Our initial approach was to build upon existing assessments for work-readiness that many community-based nonprofits currently use. MHA Labs Skill Building Blocks “comprise 35 core social, emotional and cognitive skills deemed critical for college, career and life success.” After School Matters program director Eboni Sloan currently uses the assessment tool to help place many Chicago area high school students with seasonal, and temporary employment. We would present the assessments to opportunity youth around Chicago and ask employers to identify traits necessary for specific entry level jobs (administrative clerk, forklift operator, point of sales etc). I created a working digital prototype in D3.JS_[2] that visualizes what the assessment would look like; it provides a data visualization of opportunity youth strength and areas of improvement, along with a standardized assessment tool that employers could use to reliably identify successful candidates for entry level positions.

During the yearlong research project (which would become my master thesis), I became interested in community-based interventions through technology. The opportunity youth advisory board was extremely engaged with the digital assessment tool and named several applications of this kind of project beyond employment.  Additionally, community-based organizations were familiar with this approach and could easily incorporate the assessment along with their other skill training programs. The standardized nature of the assessment could also be a tool for accountability for employers; defined skills needed for an entry level position could minimize bias and allow for non-profits to successfully advocate for community members that meet the criteria. We proposed a tool that would be based on transparency, advocates for vulnerable communities, and is mutually beneficial for all stakeholders.