Work Experience Programs: They really work!

During the past years at HOME Youth & Resource Center, we have been focusing more and more on job experience and job skills training for our youth.  Entering the work force can be a daunting task for any youth regardless of financial and home-life instability which are factors which affect many of our youth at HOME. As a group, youth face the highest rate of unemployment (17.1% in July 2012 as reported in the Wall Street Journal). Individuals who are unemployed during their adolescence are much more likely to face unemployment in their adult years and can face lower potential wages while working (BBC News). Many cases of teen homelessness can be attributed to unemployment or under-employment and unaffordable housing for the youth’s parents or guardians (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2009). 

The importance of work experience in the teen years is clearly high and thus we are implementing a variety of programs here at HOME which allow for our teens to gain job skills and experience. Partnerships with Center 50+, the Humane Society Thrift Store and recently Grant Community School, in addition to the employment opportunities for youth here at HOME, have helped to bolster many youths’ resumes. 

One example of the importance and effectiveness of these programs is found in a youth who started coming to the drop-in last year. Jessica* first started to add to her resume by participating in Crew volunteer activities, including playground clean-ups and emergency sandbag assistance. She then participated in a work experience internship at Center 50+ and the Humane Society Thrift Store. These experiences and her employment as the HOME janitor led to her being employed as a parking attendant at the Oregon State Fair. Just over a month ago Jessica completed three months of working as the cook at HOME. These experiences gave her a variety of skills and a solid resume which allowed her to be hired as a part-time employee at Chuck-E-Cheeses just a few weeks ago. Jessica said: “…having a bunch of jobs helped me to get the job at Chuck-E-Cheeses and having cash register experience from the Humane Society Thrift Store helped a lot…” We are so proud of Jessica and all that she has accomplished! 

Jessica provides just one example of the importance and success work experience programs provide and as the programs continue to develop and grow here at HOME we hope to assist more youth in entering the work force and thus ensuring themselves a brighter and more financially stable future.