January 12, 2023

East Central Community College is excited to host a new Out of School Youth Program for young adults on campus to help young adults get and maintain a career. 

 

The program, funded by SMPDD/TDWDA, looks to assist Newton County residents who are 16 to 24 years old, low-income, and currently not attending high school (public, private, or homeschool) or college. Participants will take part in a four-week developmental course designed to assist with work skills and ethics training, financial literacy training, resume and interview preparation, and job search assistance.  

 

Upon completion of the course, the participants will be placed directly into a 600-hour paid internship in a desired field to enhance their job skills with on-the-job training. 

 

Sarah Reece, the Out of School Youth Program Career Coach said, “This is an excellent opportunity for Newton County residents that fit these criteria to get on track to enter the workforce as quickly as possible. The program is designed to be intuitive, and enrollment is available year-round.” 

 

Along with a fast track to the workforce, young adults that do not have a high school diploma or equivalency can enroll directly into East Central’s HSE program to further their employment opportunities while participating.  

 

As the program develops, preliminary plans have been made to expand into both Neshoba and Leake counties in the future.  

 

Interested parties can contact the Out of School Youth Program by emailing Career Coach Sarah Reece at sreece@eccc.edu or by calling 601-635-6265 or by emailing Youth Program Coordinator Shavonn Pruitt at spruitt@eccc.edu or by calling 601-635-6404. 

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