As the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce TeenQuest program currently seeks for-profit employers to hire program alums ages 18-24, one local business manager says her store’s decision to hire TeenQuest grads continues to be a win-win.
“TeenQuest graduates are open-minded and realize that a job is an opportunity, not just a way to collect a paycheck,” said Tamara Boggs, manager of the Tim Hortons store on Pierson Road in Flint Township. “They work harder, are more dedicated and have an idea of what to expect.”
TeenQuest is a pre-employment and leadership program for Flint & Genesee youths ages 14-18. Graduates of the program are eligible to seek employment through the Summer Youth Initiative (SYI) job fair.
Currently, the program is seeking for-profit employers interested in hiring program alums ages 18-24 who are no longer eligible for the traditional SYI employment because of their age. Private-sector businesses hiring these older TeenQuest graduates will receive 50 percent reimbursement for a period of 90 days.
Benefits to businesses include employing young adults who have successfully graduated from TeenQuest, which teaches the skills necessary to get and keep a job.
“Our program prepares teens for the real world. For our traditional 14- to 18-year-old alumni, that real world also usually includes juggling school and other extracurricular activities,” said Rhetta Hunyady, Vice President, Education and Training, Flint & Genesee Chamber. “With our TeenQuest young adults, employers get them at an age where they are more likely to have more flexible schedules, their own transportation and more maturity.”
And, they get employees who are well-prepared, says Boggs, who noted that this is the first year her store has partnered with TeenQuest to employ program alumni.
“TeenQuest grads are ready to work and they’re motivated to work,” Boggs said.
For more information regarding hiring TeenQuest graduates, contact Hunyady at or (810) 600-1412.