PIC progr m helps
youth TOE thl.e mark'
Employers and young (TOE) program, a result of
or rs in the Benton Harbor close working relationship be­
area benefit from the highly sue- tween the Benton Harbor Area
cessful Try-Out Employment' Schoo area employers and the
!
Berrien-Cass- Van Buren_
Private In� Council
"Benton Harbor' TOE
program is typical of the high
quality of youth progams in our
tri-county area," according to
PIC Executive Director Richard'
Dornbos.' "Other TOE
programs operate through the
East and West County Educa­
tional Consortiums, the Lew
Cass Intermediate School Dis­
t.rict, and the Van Buren Skills
Center."
Vader this partnership, high
schPol seniors eligible for PIC
programs are given instruction
in Employability Skilk and are
interviewed by employers, who
may train indtviduals for a max­
imum of 150-250 hours. The
employers are encouraged to
continue employment at the end
of the training period if all has
wo ked out to his or her satisfac­
tion.
The only cost to the employer
is the time spent in training the
young ork rs. The students
receive a S3/hour stipend from
the TOE program for their Diavidso
training. with a maximum of 20' I
ho per k. The incentive to I
employers - 150-250 hours of . ..:--J. �_+�-�-�-_....���=
"off-th -budget" training time -
has helped make this program a
popular one in the Benton Har­
bor area. More and more com­
panies call in on their own initia­
tive to inquire about becoming
. TOE employers.
JO WI11I A nmJRE
For th high school seniors
without immediate plans to at­
tend college and with a yen for
work, the Try-Out Employment
program serves as an excellent
transition from the classroom to
employment School pla�lI)ent
coordinators place the students
in entry le�1 occupatio that
h ve both long term retention
and career growth potential.
Many TOE students have gon
on to careers as a direct result of 1
their TOE experience.
So of the TOE rodents
placed were: Gerald Scott,
(former TOE student) ently
a Swing Manager . ith Burger
King/Benton Harbor; J immi
Do nes, working with Pro­
Transmi ion; Toy Ho ard,
ales cler with Bargain Center,
Benton Harbor; and arion
WiIIia!ns, PR&D Corporation,
Benton Harbor.
BHAS vocational instructor
Jim Lancaster typifies the school
personnel who k with TOE
students nd employer by
matching the youth with jobs.
Scarcely a day goes by without
mu tiple visits to or sites and
an appraisal of the students' per-
formance.
.'