We had the pleasure of joining Malden High School staff, faculty, and students, Malden Mayor Gary Christenson and the Metro North Regional Employment Board to celebrate the acceptance of 25 Malden High School students into the new YouthWorks Plus program. YouthWorks Plus at Malden High School is generously supported by the Cummings Foundation.

The faculty leading the program asked the students to reflect on what was the most memorable moment so far in the YouthWorks Plus program. Here are some of their responses:

“Learning about how to do a good handshake. I had never thought about a handshake before.”

“The section on interviews.  I feel like I can now go into an interview better prepared.”

“Filling out my W-4 and I-9.”

“Getting my acceptance letter.”

YouthWorks Plus is a new program developed by Commonwealth Corporation that strengthens the preparation of teens to find and keep jobs in the private sector economy. It combines a hands-on, competency-based curriculum, Signaling Success, with actual subsidized work experience. Malden High School, the City of Malden, and the MetroNorth Regional Employment Board are critical partners in piloting this program. Together, we hope to learn from the pilot and refine the program model so that it can be expanded to more schools and teens in Massachusetts.

The students participating in YouthWorks Plus represent the diversity and potential of teens becoming our future workforce. They have so much to contribute to any employer with the foresight to hire them. We look forward to a wonderful and fruitful partnership with all of the organizations that are making this program happen, especially the students and staff at Malden High School!