Preparing Young Adults for a Successful Summer Job Search
Approximately 30 young adults attended Arapahoe/Douglas Works!’ 2024 Young Adult Summer Job Hunt Boot Camp the week of June 3rd. The boot camp aims to assist young adults who are ready to start working and may benefit from the intensive support provided by workforce center staff.
Feedback from last year’s inaugural boot camp led to updated workshop content, which was very impactful. Young adults attended a morning workshop from 10:00 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. and an afternoon session from 12:20 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Throughout the week, various topics were covered, including tough conversations, workplace etiquette, self-advocacy, professional appearance (both in-person and on social media), introduction to labor market information, career exploration tools, finding job openings, avoiding scams, resume building, workplace values, interviewing, job fair preparation, and budgeting.
We would like to express our gratitude to the community partners who contributed their resources, conducted workshops, and helped promote the event. Special thanks go to Stephanie Crookston from UC Health/Project SEARCH, Beth Matuszewich from Bellco Credit Union, and Katie Kothenbeutel from Arapahoe Libraries for their presentations on various topics. We would also like to thank Katie for bringing Chromebooks from the library to utilize for activities, arc Thrift Stores for providing vouchers to enable attendees to purchase interview outfits, and Becky and Ricardo from Aurora Public School’s School to Work Alliance Program (SWAP) for providing staff support and collaboration on summer employment programming for SWAP-participating students.
The boot camp concluded on Friday, June 7, 2024, with a Young Adult Summer Job Fair. There is a high demand from 14-18 year-olds for summer employment and volunteer opportunities to start building their experience and resumes. More than 80 young adults, including boot camp participants, attended the fair.
Quarterly Programs Career Fair a Huge Success
The quarterly Programs Career Fair, hosted by Arapahoe/Douglas Works!, took place on June 4, 2024. The fair was designed for job seekers in search of their next career. With twenty employers offering a range of opportunities, from entry level to experienced positions, the fair attracted over 155 enthusiastic attendees.