This is the critical question for any residential care program: What happens when children age out of care? It is not enough to feed them and keep them safe. It is absolutely requisite that graduates leave a program prepared to engage a career—and certain they have or can find a good job.

We call this preparation vocational training, and believe it is a critical component of any residential program. If we are not preparing children to be self-sufficient, we are failing them, and the cornerstone of self-sufficiency is being job ready upon aging out of care.

Teaching adolescents a marketable skill has a long history in OVC residential care. Preparing children for a trade so they can be self-sufficient as adults has been at the heart of caring for children since the very beginning of orphan care. Building upon this history is an essential part of any effective residential program.

Hope Institute’s training covers all aspects of a strong vocational preparation program:
• preparation for vocational classes
• training course selection
• job placement
• career support

Contact us for help preparing your students for vocational readiness.