Malecha Israel seems mature beyond her years. At 15, she is poised and bright, the sort of teenager a parent might hope to raise. But in today's difficult job market, even talented teens like Malecha need something more – encouragement, opportunity and on-the-job training.
A new program offered this summer by the
Jewish Family & Children's Service of Pittsburgh offered her just that. And she excelled.
"Our
Career Development Center worked with
Pittsburgh Partnership through a grant to place at-risk teens/young adults in healthcare jobs at UPMC and the Jewish Association on Aging for the summer," says Kelly O'Brien, a publicist for the organization. Ten teenagers, including Malecha, were given job placement, career training and professional development. The counselor working with these teens, "gives a lot of 'tough love' in addition to real advice that this group may not be getting from anyone else in their lives," says O'Brien, "and the kids responded wonderfully."
At a celebratory pizza lunch earlier this week, Malecha seemed thrilled at having completed the program. And she's now focused on working towards a career in healthcare. "Being in a hospital" was great training for the future, she says, and it was exciting to "learn something new."
"As part of the program, we also helped the teens receive certification through the state's 'YouthWorks JumpStart Success' program, which is a work-readiness and career exploration program that tells future employers about the youths' "valuable exposure to the soft skills so critical to success on the job," O'Brien says. All 10 students enrolled in the program completed their work assignments. And while the state's passing score for certification was 70%, these teens scored an average of 93%.
The organization is already gearing up for next summer's program.
Writer: Melissa Rayworth
Source: Kelly O'Brien, Jewish Family & Children's Service
Image courtesy of Jewish Family & Children's Service
Caption: Malecha Israel (right) interned at UPMC Presbyterian this summer. She is pictured here with her mother, Rhonda Little (left).