Search for a Presentation
B40 - From Graduation to Occupation: Connecting At-Risk Youth to Careers through a Simple Texting Intervention
Disengagement in the K-12 classroom is a complex issue that affects many parts of students’ lives. Decreased face-to-face interaction and learning loss have contributed to an increased unemployment rate among recent high school graduates.
B40 - From Graduation to Occupation: Connecting At-Risk Youth to Careers through a Simple Texting Intervention
Mentor: Leah Wasburn-Moses, Ph.D.
Disengagement in the K-12 classroom is a complex issue that affects many parts of students’ lives. Decreased face-to-face interaction and learning loss have contributed to an increased unemployment rate among recent high school graduates. In previous studies, texting interventions and artificial-intelligence powered chat bots have helped students matriculate into college following high school graduation. This study attempts to use a low-cost, artificial-intelligence assisted texting intervention program to connect recent high school graduates with local job opportunities during the summer following high school graduation. Nineteen participants completed both the pre and post survey, which collected current data on employment rate, college enrollment rate, and perceived impact of the text intervention. Overall, viable completers witnessed a 15.8% increase in employment, with 53.3% being generally impacted by the text intervention. Future research needs to be conducted in order to determine the overall effectiveness of low-cost, low-complexity texting interventions in connecting at-risk youth to job opportunities.