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By 2020, Gap Inc. expects 10,000 teens and young adults will have participated in This Way Ahead.
representatives from area Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic or Athleta stores to guide interested teens through the application and interview processes for an entry-level job, says Tory Coats, director of career readiness for Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland. “We talk to teens about career readiness, soft skills, leadership and career research, website tools and how to best interview,” says Coats. Before applying, teens may tour a store, meet with a manager and attend workshops on topics that cover conflict resolution and customer service. Teens who land jobs are paired with a mentor at the store and a job coach at the club to advise them and follow their progress. Coats worked with Josiah, offering
interview coaching and helping him prepare his resume. “Mr. Tory really made it sound really professional,” says Josiah, who secured a job at Old Navy. “I could probably get any job.”
THE VALUE OF SOFT SKILLS Over the long term, teens who learn soft skills could see a payoff in better opportunities and higher wages, according to Pew Research Center. Jobs demanding strong social skills grew by 83 percent between 1980 and 2015, and jobs requiring computer skills and critical thinking increased 77 percent. Wages for those jobs increased by $4 an hour, up to $27 between 1990 and 2015, while jobs requiring physical skills increased by only $2 to >
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