AVENUE SCHOLARS IOWA
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Mission Statement
Avenue Scholars’ mission is to be the leader in bridging the gap between education and business while guaranteeing careers for its youth of hope and need through supportive relationships, individualized coaching, education, and training.
About This Cause
The future of our community starts with our students. It begins with placing trust in them, championing their cause, and steadfastly backing them as they forge their career journeys. In Iowa, 55% of jobs are considered middle skill, meaning they require education or training beyond a high school diploma but less than an associate’s degree. This is where Avenue Scholars comes in. Avenue Scholars is a proven initiative designed to bridge the gap between education and business, guaranteeing careers for our youth of hope and need through supportive relationships, a career-ready curriculum, personalized guidance and coaching, education, and training. While other programs focus primarily on either high school or post-secondary, Avenue Scholars supports students beginning their junior year in high school through college/vocational training and into six months of full-time employment, providing a safety net through each critical transition. Building from 15 years of success of Avenue Scholars in Omaha, Avenue Scholars Des Moines was founded in the 2021-2022 school year with two cohorts of 25 juniors from East and Roosevelt High Schools. Beginning at the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Avenue Scholars will support cohorts in all five Des Moines high schools, increasing participation to 250 scholars. Avenue Scholars works to break the cycle of poverty in our community by empowering youth while simultaneously meeting the need for skilled workers in high-demand industries. Through the work of high school and post-secondary career coaches, training grants, wraparound supports, and connections to area businesses, Avenue Scholars works to ensure students in each cohort not only graduate from high school but have post-secondary success. According to the Education Advisory Board (EAB), approximately 33% of first-generation students drop out of college prematurely. This is primarily due to financial constraints, insufficient support, and unequal access to resources. Avenue Scholars aims to disrupt this trend. The program begins by explicitly targeting students of hope and financial need and who have interest in seeking a career in one of our five high-demand industries that require an associate’s degree or less. Our career pathways address workforce shortages that Future Ready Iowa has identified in the fields of Skilled Trades and Manufacturing, Healthcare, Information Technology, Business, and Automotive. Program goals include: • 98% of Avenue Scholars will graduate from high school on time • 84% will continue to postsecondary education or aligned career after high school • 75% of students who opt in to post-secondary supports will achieve alum status within 5 years by meeting the following milestones: o Full time employment o Earning an hourly wage of $16.00 or more (considered “livable wage” in DM area for an individual earner) source: Living Wage Calculator - Living Wage Calculation for Iowa (mit.edu)) o Access to health insurance benefits o Employment in high demand field aligned with student’s career area of focus o Opportunity for upward mobility