Mercer County Helping Disadvantaged Young Adults Find Work

The Mercer County Youth Career Connection (YCC) program is a new countywide initiative aimed at preparing young adults who are economically disadvantaged and have barriers, including lack of education, to enter the workforce, county officials said on Monday.

It partners businesses with educational institutions and community and faith-based agencies to help 18- to 24-year-olds in need get and keep jobs.

The County’s One-Stop Career Center will provide orientation, occupational training and paid internships with local employers.

Partner agencies, including Mercer County Community College (MCCC), Isles Youth Institute and Latinas Unidas, under YWCA Princeton, will prepare young adults who are high school dropouts with a combination of life-coping and job-readiness skills training and preparation to get their high school equivalency diploma.

Participating employers will provide work experience through internships that are paid and monitored by the One-Stop YCC team.

The YCC program, which is being funded through the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, was created in response to employers’ needs to hire young adults who are ready to work, and young adults’ needs to be competitive and attractive to prospective employers.

“This program seeks to re-engage young adults who do not have the skills to participate in today’s economy,” Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes said. “Although diploma attainment is just one component, the program also targets young adults who might have earned a high school degree but do not have the skill set to compete in the job market.

“As leaders we are addressing the skill gap head-on with the goal of giving working-age young adults the opportunity to become workforce participants.”

The One-Stop Career Center’s YCC team will work with employers to develop internships for entry-level occupations across all sectors.

This includes clerical support, customer service and warehousing, as well as targeted occupations in fields such as health care, information technology and advanced manufacturing.

Interns will be paid at least $9 an hour for 20 hours a week during six-month internships.

If a position is not available with the host employer upon successful completion of the internship, the One-Stop team in conjunction with the partner agencies will provide job search assistance.

Mercer County residents who are between 18 and 24 years old and not enrolled in an academic program can register for the YCC program by calling 609-989-6206.

YCC services orientations are held on the first and third Monday of each month at 10 a.m. at the One-Stop Career Center, 26 Yard Avenue in Trenton.

The attached image was provided by Mercer County officials: Elizabeth Muoio (right), Director of the Mercer County Department of Economic Development and Sustainability, speaks during the Sept. 9 press conference to announce the start of the Mercer County Youth Career Connection program.