The YES (Youth Employment Services) Program is headed into its 10th year of connecting Unit 4 high school students with employment opportunities, and they are looking for employers that are interested in accepting students this summer. Employers can participate at no cost to them; the program covers payroll, FICA, and insurance costs for student employees.
We wrote about the YES Program in 2019. Here are some new developments this year, from Program Supervisor Mindy Smith:
- YE$ Prep – A brand new, paid training component for our students where they will “Learn and Earn.” They’ll complete ten online modules covering the same content we would have provided in person, but they’ll be earning money for each one. Each student’s summer job placement will be contingent upon them completing this training, so our employers can rest assured that students will still be coming to the workforce with the same, if not better, preparation received in previous years.
- Virtual One Big Career Fair – We are planning to provide a completely virtual career fair experience later this spring. Attendance at this event will count as one of the modules for our students, and we hope our employers will enjoy the convenience of meeting and interviewing students from the comfort of their own office/remote location.
- Mentor Connections – Mentoring has proved to be the best way to ensure lasting and meaningful connections for our students. This year, we hope to develop a system where each student can have a mentor in their chosen career field. The time commitment for this is minimal but provides maximum opportunity for positive impact. This is a component separate from the worksite commitment – where you agree to host a student employee at your place of work – and is a great way for individuals to get involved and help shape the future of a young person in our community.
Interested employers should contact Smith at smithmi@u4sd.org with questions or to be added to the contact list. It does not obligate you to participate, as the changing landscape of the pandemic can make committment difficult.
Top photo from YES Program Facebook page.
