The Bridges Career Academies and Workplace Connection launched a new tool to help high school students find their first job.
The Jobs Train offers a user-friendly database of jobs targeted for high schoolers and is designed to help students become a part of the workforce and find a summer job.
Students can visit BridgesConnection.org/Jobs to search and filter jobs by town or area of interest. The searchable database is the only one in the region with job postings exclusively for high school students, 18 years old or younger.
"There are lots of websites available with jobs," said Mary Gottsch, director of the Bridges Workplace Connection, in a news release. "But none are for students, for first-time job seekers."
Bridges Workplace Connection has also developed a mobile app in order to keep kids abreast of frequent changes in job availabilities. They can also "like" Bridges on Facebook to get notified of jobs once they are posted.
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The Jobs Train is one feature of the Career Depot, a new web portal, created by Bridges Workplace Connection. The Career Depot is a collection of resources to help students explore careers, as well as find tips on how to complete applications, prepare for an interview and more. Through classroom projects and extracurricular activities, area teachers, coaches and staff will be encouraging students to use the Career Depot tools to explore future careers.
"We have such a strong relationship with area high schools, " Gottsch said. "Teachers know the Bridges program offers students a powerful connection to the business community. Helping the two connect to find workers only seemed natural."
Businesses participating in the Jobs Train will be expected to help mold and mentor student workers, as most first-time employers do. Businesses are prepared to teach student workers about customer service, what it means to be dependable and responsible and offer an acceptable wage. In return, students should be prepared to learn, show up for work on time and be open to new ways of thinking.
"A first job won't be your only job," Gottsch said. "Students need to realize that every job they have helps teach them about responsibilities they will need later. Sometimes, summer jobs can also move you toward or away from a future career."
The Career Depot is a two-year pilot project funded by the Otto Bremer Foundation, the Region Five Development Commission and MicroNet.
With a launch this spring focusing on Brained High School, nearly all of the postings currently live on the website are for positions in the Brainerd/Baxter area. The Bridges staff reached out to businesses that historically have employed student workers, but any business may post openings to the site.
Nisswa-based MicroNet developed the software that drives the job search database. The Career Depot site also has capability to list internship opportunities, information on job shadows, apprenticeships and scholarship information.
