Improving Outcomes for Young People
Free resources to help your organization assess program quality, strengthen practice, and support continuous improvement in workforce development programs.
Helping Young People Prepare for What’s Next
Youth workforce development programs create opportunities for young people to build workplace skills, develop confidence, form meaningful relationships with caring adults, and explore education and career pathways. Through internships, apprenticeships, career coaching, job readiness workshops, employer partnerships, and paid work experiences, they help young people prepare for success in work and in life.
Supporting these experiences requires intentional practice. The Youth Program Quality Improvement Approach helps youth workforce development organizations strengthen program quality through practical, research-informed tools that support reflection, continuous learning, and improvement.
Built on Research
For more than two decades, the Forum for Youth Investment has studied the relationship between staff practices and youth experiences. Research shows that when staff create supportive environments, encourage youth voice, foster engagement, and provide opportunities for skill building, young people experience stronger developmental outcomes.
Designed for Practice
The YPQI Approach is designed to fit the realities of youth workforce development an other youth-serving settings. Workforce examples, implementation guidance, and professional learning help organizations apply that approach in ways that reflect their context and goals.
Get the Quick Start Guide
A practical, hands-on guide to begin continuous quality improvement in your program.Tools, Training, and Technical Assistance for Every Stage
Organizations begin quality improvement in different places. Whether you’re exploring continuous quality improvement for the first time or building on an existing effort, The Forum for Youth Investment’s Weikart Center offers resources and supports that can be adapted to your goals, capacity, and stage of implementation.
Explore the Foundations
Begin with self-guided resources that introduce continuous quality improvement and help your team take the first steps.
- Project Introduction
- Launching Self-Guided Quality Guide
- Foundational Program Quality Assessments (PQAs) (free downloadable assessment)
Build Capacity
Build shared understanding and strengthen staff practice through facilitated learning experiences.
- Youth Workforce-Specific Quality Matters Training
- Youth Workforce-Specific PQA Basics Training
- Planning with Data
- Youth Work Methods (including youth workforce-specific methods trainings)
- External Assessor Reliability Training
- Leadership Practice
Strengthen Implementation
Deepen and sustain quality improvement through coaching, technical assistance, and implementation support tailored to your organization’s needs.
- Self-assessment implementation
- External assessment
- Data interpretation
- Improvement planning
- System implementation
Built in Partnership
The Youth Workforce Development Quality Initiative was piloted with support from The Wallace Foundation.
We’re grateful to the following organizations whose collaboration helped shape this work:
City of Grand Rapids, Detroit Food Academy, Healthy Kidz, Keystone, Minnesota Department of Education, Philadelphia Youth Network, RECONCILE New Orleans, Refill Jackson Initiative, Single Family Living, Sprockets, Trombone Shorty Foundation, Urban Roots
Download the Youth Program Quality Assessment: Foundational Version
Start implementing continuous quality improvement in your program.Strengthen Your Program Quality. Improve Outcomes for Youth.
Quality improvement is a journey of learning, reflection, and growth. Download the Quick Start Guide to take the first step, or reach out to talk through what fits your organization.