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Career Launch Pilot Program Helps
28 Trenton Youth Get Summer Jobs
In response to the needs inner-city youth for career preparation skills and the clamor for summer employment, the Boys & Girls Club in March started Career Launch: Job Ready! at two Trenton High School campuses and at the Boys & Girls Club. As a result, the 28 Club members who completed the program now have summer jobs at which they can test their emerging skills.
The process of becoming eligible for a summer job was no easy task. First, the candidates – all between the ages of 14 and 18 – completed self-assessments that allowed them to gauge their interests and match them with more than 300 career areas. Then, they created cover letters and resumes.
The students engaged in computer-based lessons which included virtual tours pertaining to appropriate dress in diverse workplaces and on-line career research. They came to understand the workforce trends and the impact technology has in this arena.
Additional training was gained from lessons in problem solving and decision making skills. The students used tools to create simulated companies which allowed them to examine the intricacies of business administration. Finally, individual interviews were scheduled with professional staff members during which the students’ poise and public speaking skills were put to the test.
Every successful Job Ready! graduate was offered a position in the Boys & Girls Club Summer Camp. The junior staff members will perform tasks that relate to their career interests. These include counseling younger children in sports and games, reading, computers, and arts and crafts. Others will work alongside the facilities manager and help in the business office.
Through a grant from The Horizon Foundation, seven junior staffers will engage in a peer reading initiative at the Gregory School, one of the Club’s summer camp program sites. The Workforce Investment Act of Mercer County, through its One-Stop Career Center, is providing additional support for the junior staffers’ wages.
The Boys & Girls Club believes that these summer jobs – together with continued enrollment in the Career Launch Program – will prepare the teens to secure paid internships outside of the Club. With this goal in mind, professional staff members plan to evaluate the interns’ work every two weeks and follow up with timely coaching. The junior staffers will be held to the standards set forth by the Department of Labor which include punctuality, appropriate attire, and proper work etiquette.
Area businesses that would like to partner with the Boys & Girls Club and consider offering internships to their Job Ready! graduates can contact David Anderson, executive director, at 609-392-3191, ext. 10.
To read more about Career Launch, click here
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