The world may seem like a very uneasy place to be right now. This is no more true than for the youth of our country. The future may feel like it is in question currently, but we as career specialists, want to continue our mission of helping our youth develop the skills and training that is needed to become productive members of our economic system in the years to come. 

two women talking

Massachusetts Youth Development Opportunities 

MassHire has many opportunities for our youth looking to enter the workforce, learn a skill, or gain employment training. Massachusetts offers many programs for in-school and out-of-school youth that provide a pathway to a GED, HiSET, high school diploma, higher education, industry-recognized training, and a career. These programs are funded by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

Within the area of the North Shore of Massachusetts, there are several service providers that can help our youth in their desires to gain employment and thus the needed skills to advance in future career goals. These include: Catholic Charities of the North, the North Shore Community Development of the North Shore, Girls Inc. of Lynn, and Action Inc. Compass Youth program. For a full listing of programs available and how they will look in light of state safety guidelines in the age of COVID-19, check out this link. 

teen on computer

Benefits of Youth Employment 

There are so many benefits to youth development and employment that we may not have the space and time to devolve deep into the topic. Here are some of the top reasons why developing the future generations of youth for the workforce is so important for the youth themselves and our country as a whole. 

  • Building skills such as: social skills, time management, communication skills, organization skills, and higher order thinking skills. 
  • Gaining much needed confidence that they fit into the work environment and can succeed at a workplace. 
  • A fuller understanding of where they fit into the larger economic picture. 
  • Self exploration into their strengths and weaknesses as an employee. 
  • Continuing education and an understanding of where that education fits into the workplace. 
  • Gathering information about job types and industries for future employment. 

According to Youth.gov, “There are many advantages to working during high school, especially for low-income youth, including higher employment rates and wages in later teen years and lower probabilities of dropping out of high school. Knowing how to find and keep a job is not only critical for admission to the adult world but also is an important survival skill for which there is little in the way of formal, structured preparation.” 

To find out more about current youth development opportunities check out our resources pages at North Shore Career Center   and MassHire North Shore