JRT Student, Kareem Bussy, accepts his certificate of completion of the program from Senator Massey; along side CEO, Marcella Edwards, and Board Member, Josh Stallings

“Your first impression will determine, if you get an opportunity to make a second impression.”

Senator Shane Massey sent that message as the Keynote Speaker to high schoolers and rising college freshmen at Edgefield County Youth Empowerment Center’s Graduation Ceremony for the Youth Job Readiness Program. “It’s a four-week program for 20 participants ages, 14 through 18. They learn attitude and self-esteem skills, problems solving skills, personal and career development, job applications, teamwork, critical thinking, resume, respect, and interviewing skills with soft skills -such as communication, conflict resolution and goal-setting”, says, CEO, Marcella Edwards. “These are foundational skills for the workplace, school and home”.

“Young people who understand the magnitude of things like teamwork and conflict resolution are better prepared to excel in the workforce, regardless of their career path or chosen industry.”

“When you do a search for ‘What Employers Want’, you do not see high test scores anywhere on any job descriptions,” says Edwards. “Are you able to work effectively in a team and do you have the ability to make decisions and solve problems? Those are the skill employers most want when they are recruiting employees, as Senator Massey alluded to during his speech to our youth, says Edwards.”

We deemed the speech by Senator Massey to very impactful for our youth as they transition into the “next” in life.  And, we are extremely honored that Senator Massey accepted the invitation to speak to our youth. Wehave received many favorable remarks from our youth and parents about his speech and the style in which he delivered the information.

“We will continue investing in our future, our youth,” says Edwards. Submitted