Nearly 160 Work Force-Ready Students to Celebrate Accomplishments at Ceremony

(FLINT, Mich., Oct. 15, 2014) – Nearly 160 teens will celebrate their hard work and the potential jobs that await them as the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce hosts its TeenQuest program graduation on Thursday, Oct. 16.

Hundreds of proud parents and other family members will gather with the students who have successfully completed the fall session of TeenQuest during a ceremony at 6 p.m. at Riverfront Banquet Center, 1 W. Riverfront Center, in downtown Flint.

Managed by the Flint & Genesee Chamber, TeenQuest is a five-week training program designed to help Flint & Genesee high school students ages 14-18 prepare for business success in the future. Students learn the basics of teamwork, business etiquette, work ethics, communication, goal setting and conflict resolution.

“While many teens are just now settling into the routine of a new school year, these TeenQuest graduates will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have worked hard and started off the year with a new business skill set that will set them apart from their peers when it comes time to find a job next summer,” said Rhetta Hunyady, Vice President, Education and Training, Flint & Genesee Chamber.

TeenQuest is a pre-requisite for employment through the Summer Youth Initiative (SYI), which matches employers with hundreds of TeenQuest graduates for summer employment.

The TeenQuest fall session that concluded this week is the first of four scheduled for the 2014-15 school year. The afterschool training was held at five area locations. Upcoming sessions include: Nov. 3-Dec. 4, Jan. 12-Feb. 12 and Feb. 23-March 26.

Students attend the TeenQuest program two hours per day after school, Monday through Thursday, over the five-week period.

Nonprofit organizations and businesses that hire TeenQuest graduates are eligible to have 50 percent to 100 percent of costs subsidized. This past summer, 617 youths ages 14-18 were employed through SYI, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and some for-profit businesses.

For more information about TeenQuest, contact Hunyady at rhunyady@flintandgenesee.org or (810) 600-1412.