For $99, this Hamilton program could help students decide which career to pursue

The Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce is signing up students for an eight-week program aimed at preparing them for future jobs and careers.

Youth LED Leadership Empowerment Development will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 4 to July 25 at Miami Regionals Downtown Hamilton at 221 High St..

The program, a partnership between the Chamber, H.Y.P.E. and Junior Achievement, offers practical experiences and application of skills learned through visiting local businesses. The program follows a curriculum taught by local community and business leaders, according to Dan Bates, the chamber’s president and CEO.

Youth LED is open to students going into ninth through 12th grades and costs $99. It includes breakfast and lunch each day, plus transportation from downtown Hamilton to offsite location. Scholarships are available via www.hamilton-ohio.com/youthled.

The program is experiential learning in which the students learn problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity skills, Bates said.

“This program gives the students an opportunity to create relationships with employers that they would have never had the opportunity to do,” he said.

“It also helps them discover the opportunities for future careers that exist in their own backyard. By visiting these business locations and talking directly with business owners and managers, they’ll also get a better understanding about what training and experience is needed to succeed in those careers.”

A skill set lab, which takes an assessment of what students like to do and applies it toward the careers that fit those skills, is part of the program.

The chamber created the program to connect students and businesses, Bates said.

“It’s also a workforce development strategy that will plant seeds for future employees,” he said. “We are involved with employers, education and the community, we are aware of the resources and gaps that exist. We are attempting to fill one of those gaps with this program.”

Bates said the LED program is important the chamber’s overall mission because it is “an investment in our future workforce and it also addresses talent retention.”

For more information, email laura@hamilton-ohio.com or call 513-844-1500.

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