Summer Youth Initiative Job Fair Draws Hundreds of Teens

Summer jobs are not always easy to find. On Saturday, hundreds of TeenQuest graduates had an opportunity to gain summer employment at the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce Summer Youth Initiative (SYI) Job Fair. The event took place at Baker College of Flint in the Student Center.

Graduates of TeenQuest, a free after school pre-employment and leadership program of the Regional Chamber were eligible to participate in the SYI Job Fair. SYI helps participating teens prepare for and connect to job opportunities.

Tim Herman, CEO of the GRCC, said "it's a win-win for the community and for businesses in the region to provide access to a well-qualified talent pool ready for summer employment through TeenQuest and SYI. We are incredibly proud of our TeenQuest graduates. They make excellent employees and employers tell us they look forward to hiring well-prepared student employees at the Job Fair every year."

For-profit employers are eligible for a 50 percent match of the students' salary for the first 90 days of employment. Nonprofits compete for funding to pay 100 percent of employing the students.

Last year, over 400 teens were employed through SYI at 24 nonprofits and businesses in Flint and Genesee County.

TeenQuest is a free after-school pre-employment and leadership program for teens age 14-18 designed to teach students the basis of teamwork, business etiquette, work ethics, communication, goal setting and conflict resolution. The six-week program is offered year-round and is a pre-requisite for SYI participation.

For more information about TeenQuest or SYI, contact Paul Stainbrook at (810) 600-1413 or pstainbrook@thegrcc.org.