Kendall County Youth Employment Program Begins Third Year

A special thanks to Mark Leigh of the for providing this news release, photograph and caption.

A youth employment program for Kendall County youth enters its third year of existence this month.  The program operates out of the Grundy-Kendall Regional Office of Education, 109 W. Ridge Street, Yorkville and is funded by the River Valley Workforce Investment Board.  The purpose of the program is to help 16-21 year old youth in Kendall County obtain jobs, get their GED, and become qualified for future employment.

Sarah Slager, 18, took the initiative to enroll in the program this month in order to receive help getting her GED and help finding a job.  Slager took on adult responsibilities at 12 years of age when her mother was incapacitated in a car accident; Slager then “slipped through the cracks” and did not attend school regularly.

When Slager entered the youth employment program, she was assisted in creating a resume and her GED ability level was assessed.  Individual tutoring for the GED is available in the program, but Slager only needed minimal guidance on writing an essay and on learning test-taking strategies.  Slager signed up to take the GED test in August with the program paying her $50 fee.  Slager said, “I was surprised that I am a lot further along than I thought.  I expected that it would take a year to prepare for the GED.”

Slager is moving forward fast.  She expects to earn her GED in August and start culinary classes at Joliet Junior College in August.  Slager is using her resume as an aid in snagging a part-time job.

To be eligible for the youth employment program, youth must live in Kendall County and not be attending high school, must meet low income guidelines, and have at least one barrier to employment such as being a high school drop-out, being a parent, being on probation, or being deficient in math or reading.

For more information, call Mark or Laura at (630) 553-4166 or send an email to yep@roe24.org.