Panther Youth Partners Learn Skills for Working World

Preparing for the job market can be a daunting task. The Panther Youth Partners of South Florida Community College, however, has a program for area youths that examines those challenges and teaches skills that will be needed by the future job seekers. The Youth Partners recently concluded two weeks of activities at SFCC’s Highlands Campus, designed to focus on those goals, and have a little fun too.

“Panther Youth Partners is a Youth Grant Program funded by the Heartland Workforce Investment Board that serves over 80 students in Highlands, Hardee, and Desoto counties,” said Andrew Bonjokian, SFCC coordinator, Technical Prep and Vocational Dual Enrollment. The program is divided into three phases. The first focuses on researching careers, developing job readiness skills, and setting goals. The second phase includes academic tutoring and mentoring. The final phase includes job shadowing, counseling, academic assistance, and remediation. “We have gotten away from the old “Summer Youth” concept in order to provide a year round service system that our students are required to access for academic, mentoring, and guidance support during the summer months and the school year,” Bonjokian said.

During the last two weeks of June, the Partners participated in group presentations, training in professionalism, and celebrating their accomplishments. Teams were formed, mixing students from each school to participate in competitions. Games included a balloon relay, a hula hoop race, and other activities, but even the games had a goal. Students had to organize and get to know each other quickly in an effort to work together to achieve team objectives.