Made in Durham is a public-private partnership committed to ensuring all Durham youth and young adults complete a postsecondary credential and begin a rewarding career by the age of 25. Partners are committed to helping youth and young adults, ages 14-24, navigate through education and into work—an education-to-career system.  Working together, Made in Durham intends to create a system where every young person:

·         Completes a high school degree or equivalency

·         Engages in work experiences that will prepare them for a career

·         Enters postsecondary education and completes a credential

·         Secures living-wage work

Made in Durham will achieve these goals by:

·         Ensuring all secondary and postsecondary career education and training meets employer standards for work readiness in academic, technical, and interpersonal skills

·         Creating multiple pathways to education and careers that engage young people at every stage, support young people in danger of disengaging, and recover young people who have dropped out

·         Drawing directly on knowledge and input from employers and youth (the “dual customers” of the system)

·         Incorporating work experience into learning from middle school through postsecondary education

·         Building on Durham’s many strong programs and services with improved data, funding, and organizational capacity

Employers and employability development are at the heart of Made in Durham’s work. Businesses will provide strategic leadership, technical curricula advice, work experience and job opportunities, and performance feedback throughout the planning, management, and evaluation of Made in Durham initiatives.