osiah Mattox always had drive. Growing up in Cleveland, where violent crime rates are the highest in Ohio, the threat of following in the path of others who were unable to overcome similar trappings inspired him to work diligently. However, in order to become a success, Josiah believed he’d need more than the savvy that helpd him navigate his neighborhood. He’d also need soft skills like thinking critically and communicating clearly. That is one reason Josiah, 15, connected with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), one of the oldest and largest afterschool organizations in the country, helps members as young as 6 years old develop those sometimes difficult-to-measure “soft” skills, says president and CEO Jim Clark. Serving more than 4 million young people nationwide, the nonprofit prepares members for academic and career paths and builds workplace readiness into all of its programs. Soft skills also include the ability to collaborate and work independently, and are valued highly by employers, according to the 2019 Job Outlook survey published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
PHOTO CREDIT GETTY IMAGES; PROVIDED BY OLD NAVY
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Young job applicants need to be able to manage time, money and resources; to find, organize and analyze information; to Workplace communicate in written or oral presentations; to perform as Skills part of a team and be able to work with digital technology.
AFTER-SCHOOL INFLUENCE Some teens pick up informal pointers on soft skills at home or at school, but students who attend after-school programs consistently engage in activities that promote these skills, says Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group. Importantly, these programs encourage today’s teens, a generation often tethered to computer and mobile screens, to practice interpersonal relations, a critical skill in the workplace. “The No. 1 thing afterschool offers is human interaction,” Grant says. “There’s a whole host of skills that create the infrastructure you need for success in life, school and at the higher levels in the workforce, and this is what after-school (programming) does best.” At BGCA, programs such as Junior Staff and Career Launch encourage teens to practice leadership, teamwork and other soft skills that they can transfer to the workplace. Then, BGCA partners with other nonprofits and businesses to provide opportunities for members to practice these skills in the real world. “One of the biggest challenges facing our nation is the lack of a skilled and >
Applied Academic Skills
Reading, writing, math and science skills are indispensable, and job seekers should be able to organize, reason and problem solve, as well as think critically and creatively.
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