BelFlex is a staffing and workforce solutions firm that provides temporary, temp-to-hire and full-time light industrial employees to businesses nationwide.
“Selecting the right high school is a critical step in this journey, and Marshall stood out to us last year because of its strong leadership and supportive learning environment,” said Ann Hollingsworth, community outreach manager at BelFlex. “That experience was such a positive one for the school, the community and BelFlex that we felt it was important to continue with Marshall so we reach even more of its dedicated young people.”
During the program, a select group of 16 to 20 juniors and seniors are mentored for an hour each day and taught a range of skills, including how to write a resume, hunt for a job and dress professionally.
“We also provide resources to, if they would like to further their education, to a junior college, technical college or a four-year college and provide the information on how to obtain a (federal) Pell Grant or scholarships,” Hollingsworth said.
Marshall High School Principal Chuck Hall and a group of counselors will select a diverse group of students that they believe will most benefit from the mentorship.
Students who participated in BJMP last year said they loved the program, Hall said.
“It provided them with a sense of hope, pride, and a path for the future,” he said. “The participant’s school attendance improved, and their attitude towards their future was enhanced positively.”
The program, which originated in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 2015 due to concerns about the high youth dropout and unemployment rates, partners with a local high school and area businesses to help prepare students to be confident, poised and ready for employment.
Due to the success the program had on both the students and Tuscaloosa area businesses, BelFlex expanded the program to Middletown in 2016 and is now expanding it to five more cities for this year including Chattanooga, Tenn.; Cleveland, Tenn.; Florence, Ky.; Louisville, Ky.; and Sanford, N.C.
One of the biggest days of the program is a mock interview, held during the fifth or sixth week of the program to see how well students have learned. Students are provided a new outfit by BelFlex from local retailers to wear for the interview, Hollingsworth said.
Students who participated in the program last year decided to volunteer for other community-improvement activities afterward, she said.
“They absolutely, thoroughly enjoyed giving back,” Hollingsworth said. “So when the kids had a chance to volunteer for the city, it made them have more (of) a sense of self-worth to give back, to be a part of the community.”
Now in seven cities, BJMP starts in April and banks on the notion that students are “youth for today, but leaders for tomorrow,” she said.
In December, Middletown had the largest attendance ever for a BJMP meeting, drawing officials from the City of Middletown, Butler Tech, Warren County Career Center, Junior Achievement and other area organizations.
Hollingsworth said Rick Pearce, the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Serving Middletown, Trenton & Monroe, “played a vital key in getting the community leaders together.”
“He was absolutely phenomenal,” she said.
As a result of that record turnout, the program will be expanded this year at Marshall High School to allow local business owners and area economic development officials to provide mentorship and advice on navigating the process of identifying and securing meaningful employment opportunities.
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