Montco Career Connections

MontcoWorks NOW participants were invited to tour Cima Network, Inc. for National Manufacturing Day in October. Cima designs and manufactures signage for brands like Five Below, Pep Boys, Regal Cinemas and more. Our youth participants were able to visit their warehouse and see signs being made. They also learned about different career pathways avialable at Cima.

If you visit the MontcoWorks NOW Office, you'll see a sign with our logo in the front. Cima donated this sign to us, so it is always special when get get to bring our participants there to visit. We are so grateful to Cima for all their support of our program.

The MWN team encourages our clients to consider taking courses that expand skill sets and knowledge that help obtain employment. We currently have 8 participants enrolled in post secondary education programs. Check out some updates below:

• Kenneth, Sean and Juviny are enrolled in the second Welding course at North Montco Technical Career Center. They are learning theory and getting hands on practice which will prepare them for employment in the welding field once the course ends.
• Jaden is enrolled in Electrical Construction I at North Montco Technical Career Center. He is learning about several topics including the National Electrical Code, residential wiring and appliance circuits. Jaden plans to attend Electrical Construction II in the Spring.
• Teagan is attending business courses at Montgomery County Community College while holding two jobs.
• Zalia is completing EKG Technician training at North Montco Technical Career Center. She is learning the anatomy and physiology of the body's cardiovascular system and the purpose of EKG monitoring. At the end of the course, students are prepared for an entry-level EKG technician role.
• Sara F. is enrolled in the cosmetology program at Empire Beauty School. Students learn about hair design, hair cutting, color & texture, basic skin care and receive business and retail training.
• James is enrolled in the music program at Montgomery County Community College.

We are so impressed by the hard work our MWN clients put in every day to learn new skills that they can add to their resumes.

Paid work experiences (PWEs) are one of the fourteen program elements outlined in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act guidelines and a highlight of the MontcoWorks NOW Program. Many of the youth enrolling in our program have limited prior work experience or are looking to gain hands on experience in their desired career field to make sure it is a good fit. We are so lucky to work with local employers who have the capacity to not only host our participants, but also provide a direct hire employment opportunity after the PWE ends. We wanted to highlight some of the PWEs that lead to employment for our youth.

• Teagan completed a PWE with Nothing Bundt Cakes and received a direct hire employment opportunity from their team. This is his second PWE that ended with a direct hire opportunity.
• Kylee completed her PWE with the SPCA. Her goal was to work with animals and after a successful PWE, she received a direct hire opportunity to continue her work there.
• Xavier completed his PWE with Sparks Electric in their electrician department. After a successful PWE, they asked him to come in for an interview and he received a direct hire opportunity.

The MWN Career Counselors work together with their clients to support them with their career goals which includes working to find employment opportunities. We are so proud of our clients that are working all throughout Montgomery County filling roles in all types of career fields. Check out some of the awesome jobs our clients were hired for:

• Lily started working at Marshall's
• Shannon is working with Bath and Body Works.
• Noah started a new job with the Philadelphia Water Department as a Management Trainee (Personnel).
• Aniyah is working with Parkhouse Nursing and Rehabilitation.
• Hailey is working at the Hyatt.

The MWN team works with over 100 worksite partners to connect MWN participants to a paid work experience (PWE). See below for current clients who are placed at organizations throughout Montgomery County.

• Jaden is completing his PWE at The Birches in Harleysville.

• Angelica is completing her PWE as a Pre-School and After Care Assistant at Springhouse Early Learning Center.

• Sara F. is completing a PWE with Nothing Bundt Cakes as a Froster.

• Jack is doing a PWE at Dog Town is Hatfield as a doggie daycare assistant and dog rescue associate.

• Cameron is doing a PWE as a Programs Intern with CADCOM.

• Amir is completing a PWE with the Ricket's Center in Pottstown as a junior counselor with their after school program.

PWE's are a great opportunity to gain experience in the participant's field of choice and to learn if that career path is to their liking. We appreciate all of worksite partners and are excited to support so many unique work opportunities for MWN participants.

The MontcoWorks★NOW Inspiration Station provides an opportunity for our participants to share how they have been impacted by our program. Our team is passionate and committed to supporting youth as they navigate the workforce world. We often share client success stories but thought you would LOVE to hear from our participants directly. The MWN program provides amazing opportunities and each youth sets their individuals goals to achieve during their time in programming. Check out our quotes below from Teagan, Elijah and Michael who are doing amazing things in the workforce. Just a reminder to never give up!

The MontcoWorks★NOW team works hard to stay connected with our community and stay up to date on the best practices that will help us serve our MWN participants. Recruitment and engagement are important parts of our program. We are always connect with youth and potential partners at job fairs, schools, events and more.

This year Danielle and Sara volunteered with the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Young professionals at their Thanksgiving meal distribution in the Boyertown Area. They helped distribute more than 200 meals to those in need. The team also volunteered at the annual Careers of Tomorrow event hosted by Montgomery County's Commerce Department and Workforce Development Board. It was great to see our youth connect with local employers and learn about career opportunities. Kendall, Danielle, Sara and Megan attended the 5th annual REACH Conference hosted by the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce. It was a great day of connecting with fellow chamber mebmers and hearing from speakers.

Kendall and Dan launched MCIU's Career Connections Jumpstart Series in October. They work together to provide opportunities to our local schools for college and career readiness. The first event was a networking event that connected high school seniors with local businesses. Montgomery County School districts sent seniors to meet with 12 companies in a round-robin format. Seniors picked which companies they wanted to visit and were able to practice interacting with employers in a workforce setting. Stay tuned for more events as the series continues!