“I like working with people, and [YEPP] helped me learn more about myself. Working with people is something I really want to do”
-Gennesy, Youth Employment Pathways Program Participant
Developing Educational and Employment Opportunities for Union County Youth
United Way of Greater Union County’s partnership with Make The Road New Jersey, for example, in the Youth Employment Pathways Program (YEPP) has helped provide teens like Gennesy with the tools necessary to pursue long-term career goals.
UWGUC developed YEPP through the support of the Union County Workforce Development Board and the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. The program has been instrumental in our work to help prepare youth for the 21st century workforce. In 2019, more than 300 youth received leadership development training, job placement, academic support and career planning services.
In the summer of 2019, UWGUC was awarded a grant from the State of New Jersey, through the Union County Workforce Development Board where 212 youth entered the workforce, many of them for the first time. The summer initiative provided youth with part-time summer jobs and included weekly training sessions in work readiness, leadership development, financial literacy and more.
Pictured L to R: Youth Employment Pathways Program youth, Yasmin and Amitra provided administrative support to employees at United Way of Greater Union County during the summer initiative.
Gennesy appears in our latest video, We Are United Way of Greater Union County, and can be viewed on our website at uwguc.org/we.