Career Beginnings

Work Experiennce

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Many Summer Workforce agencies are only realizing marginal success at preparing youth for jobs, and improved academic performance. Part of the problem lies in the fact that youth see summer jobs as nothing more than a way to earn extra spending money. The years between the ages of 14-26 are a young person's skill building, not wealth building years. Effectively communicating this message is difficult, especially in summer employment programs when the only thing students expect to gain is a paycheck. During skill building years, youth should focus on understanding and gaining 5 key elements:

• Skills
• Credentials
• Experience
• Positive Support Networks
• Degrees

Attempts at communicating this message have been less than encouraging. Consequently, many youth fail to capitalize on work experience opportunities necessary for long-term labor force attachment and future economic-self-sufficiency.

Our approach to workforce development and education is not similar to other pre-employment /life skills methods that have traditionally not been marked by success. While our approach does contain strategies that are of a familiar nature, the method is atypical. As we prepare youth to achieve goals associated with workforce achievement, we engage their peer and popular culture in the process. As a result, learning becomes relevant, interesting and impactful.

• Summer Jobs as a Pathway to Future Economic Opportunity
  • Objective- Summer employment program participants will understand the importance of summer work experience in building long term future economic opportunity.


• Working Effectively with Your Summer Work Experience Supervisor
  • Objective- Participants will have identified the skills necessary to improve relations with their summer work experience supervisor, and other caring adults, to promote their FEO journey.


• Using Summer Work Experience to Build Opportunity Networks
  • Objective- Participants will understand the importance of getting a solid recommendation from their summer employments supervisor as a pathway to FEO. Participants will secure one recommendation.


• Summer Work Time and Attendance Strategies for Future Economic Success
  • Objective- Participants will be able to identify the importance of the time and punctuality for their summer work experience.


• Cultural Competence: Working Effectively with People from Other Cultures
  • Objective- Students will be able to list three-strategies for getting along with other cultures.
  • Students will demonstrate an understanding of the differences between the culture of adults and that of young adults.
  • Participants will expand their knowledge of ways to relate to adults through a greater understanding of adult culture.


• Motivating Yourself in the Summer
  • Objective- Participants will have: 1) identified strategies for personal motivation to achieve personal goals, 2) demonstrate the ability to develop personal action plans to promote life, freedom and future economic opportunity.


• Being a Productive Summer Work Experience Participant
  • Objective-Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to communicate and work with customers to satisfy their expectations. Participants will demonstrate the key abilities and skills of a productive summer work experience participant.