For many, entering the workforce can be a scary process, be it for a person applying for their first job, or a college student who will be graduating soon and looking to put their degree to use.
Uncertainty of the skills one must possess can lead to anxiety. But Next Step, a mentoring center in Akron (with a branch in Medina) for young prospective employees, can help people gain those skills and proceed with the confidence they need to become a successful member of the workforce.
Next Step is a free walk-in outreach center for people ages 14-21. They specialize in helping young people build job skills such as career planning, resume building, life skills, networking, college preparation and many other important skills.
Laura Fechter, program coordinator for Next Step said that while there is teaching and testing going on, the environment at Next Step and the overall attitudes of the participants is distinctive from that of a classroom.
“It’s a lot different than school. I was a teacher and I know that the kids don’t want to be there. This is their choice,” said Fechter.
“Fechter said that one of the main things that young people who enter into the Next Step program must overcome when they are ready to enter the workforce is their manner of dress.
“We explain to them the importance of proper dress and we impress that on them by showing them environments with peers in professional dress,” said Fechter. “They must work through the negativity and the idea that they have all the answers.”
Fechter stressed that the Next Step program is an ongoing process. Initially, students are given a pre-test and a post-test to gauge where they are in the development of their skills. Next Step continues to help them throughout the employment process and after a year, are given a follow-up. But for some, it does not end there.
“We’ve had some wonderful success stories; students who have gone on to good jobs and the ones who keep coming back,” said Fechter. “We have one student who comes back all the time. He wants to get a job here, but he doesn’t have a college degree and you need to get a college degree to work here, so he wants help in getting one. But he still helps with new people who come in, showing them around and telling them what we’re all about. He’s just that enthusiastic about the program.”
Fechter said that at any given time, Next Step has roughly 100 people enrolled. Among those, officers are elected, ranging in age.
Fechter said that currently, there is an officer as young as 15 and an officer as old as 20.
While much of the curriculum is designed to cater to both the younger and older students, Fechter said that there are obvious differences in catering to the younger people in the program and the older people in the program. The younger students are getting ready to enter the workforce for the first time. The older students have been employed before, but they are now looking to either continue their education or put their degree to use. Part of what Next Step does is helping those who are finishing a degree in understanding what their expectations should be.
“Older students want higher paying jobs now, but they don’t have the experience,” said Fechter. “We’re very realistic in helping them to understand what their options are. It’s very hard and we don’t try and convince someone to do something that they don’t want to do.”
For those students who are finishing high school and looking to continuing their education, financial aid opportunities are available for trade or associate’s degrees.
Fechter said that being active in the community is part of the Next Step program. She said that it ties into the program because, in addition to helping students develop life skills, it is a great way to learn how to be productive and to get work experience.
Recently, Next Step has upped their marketing efforts. In addition to speaking at schools and relying on word of mouth (which Fechter said is Next Step’s best marketing tool), they have purchased space on buses and will sponsor two University of Akron basketball games.
“There’s always more to learn. Even if you have a job, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t more to learn,” said Fechter.
More information about Next Step can be found at www.jobstop.org. Next Step is located in the Job Center on East Tallmadge Avenue.
