(FLINT, Mich., May 20, 2015) – Enrollment is now open for teens looking to gain pre-employment and leadership skills this summer. The Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce will offer a session of its TeenQuest program July 6-30 at Baker College of Flint.
TeenQuest is the Chamber’s no-cost training in business etiquette for any Genesee County high school student age 14-19. It is designed to help Flint & Genesee youths prepare for success by learning the basics of teamwork, business etiquette, work ethics, communication, goal setting and conflict resolution.
The summer session will run 1-4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays at Baker College, 1050 W. Bristol Road.
“Our summer sessions are great for teens who are too busy during the school year with other extracurricular activities after school,” said Rhetta Hunyady, Vice President of Education & Training at the Flint & Genesee Chamber. “Putting in the time and effort during the summer is a great investment in the future. Teens gain knowledge, skills and confidence that will benefit them the rest of their lives.”
Teens must be in Grades 9-11 during the current school year to be eligible for the summer session. Current eighth-graders (entering ninth grade in the fall) are not eligible for the summer session but are encouraged to apply for the afterschool sessions that begin in September.
TeenQuest is a pre-requisite for employment through the Summer Youth Initiative (SYI), which matches employers with hundreds of TeenQuest graduates for summer employment via an invitation-only summer job fair. Nonprofit organizations and businesses that hire TeenQuest graduates are eligible to have 50 percent to 100 percent of costs subsidized.
Graduates of the summer 2015 TeenQuest session will be eligible for the 2016 SYI.
TeenQuest applications can be downloaded online at https://www.flintandgenesee.org/learn/teenquest/apply-today/.
For more information about TeenQuest, contact Hunyady at .
About the Summer Youth Initiative and TeenQuest
The Summer Youth Initiative is a program that helps Flint-area teens find paid summer jobs. It’s open to students who’ve completed the TeenQuest afterschool program, which provides pre-employment and leadership training to students ages 14 to 19 to help them succeed in college and the 21st century workplace. In 2014, 630 teens gained experience and a paycheck working for 21 local businesses and agencies. Both programs are administered by the Genesee Area Focus Fund, a supporting organization of the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. To apply or learn more, visit www.flintandgenesee.org/teenquest.