Youth Employment Month

June is Youth Employment Month, and a great time for teens to consider summer work. Having a summer job can help with essentials like phone bills, gas for your car, money to have fun with, and savings for the future. A summer job can also help build the discipline and structure needed to be successful in the workplace later in life.

Flint & Genesee Education & Talent has amazing resources to help students find and keep a job. Through the TeenQuest program, teens learn how to craft a resume, interviewing skills, and what they need to stand out in a crowd. Teens put those skills to use during the Summer Youth Initiative (SYI), where they work for local nonprofits or businesses. During the summer, teens can make money while learning what it means to be a good employee.

“I think TeenQuest teaches you a lot of different leadership skills, and how to deal with conflict, and how to deal with people who may not have your same interests,” says former TeenQuest and SYI student Cooper Austin.

“Anytime I’ve done an interview for a new job, I’d bring out my TeenQuest folder and look over those notes. Being confident and putting your best foot forward in interviews, I took those skills and transferred them into any time I was talking with a potential client, or my authority figure in whatever work situation I was in,” says TeenQuest graduate Hannah Warner.

According to the 2024 evaluation of the TeenQuest and SYI programs, 97% of students found that the programs had been a good use of their time. 91% of students were satisfied with wages earned through SYI jobs. In addition, most graduates of the program said they could pay for basic needs and 76.6% were fully employed.

Lessons learned through the youth programs offered by Flint & Genesee Education & Talent set students on a path to success and toward happiness in their employment. Youth Employment Month is not just a great time to get serious about finding work, but the perfect opportunity to plan for the future and what tools students need to be successful in everything they do.