When asked what Your Employment Services, or YES to the Future, can do for its participants, Workforce and Outreach Specialist Karla Procopio said, “We help those who feel isolated make peer connections. They get one-on-one interviews with staff, and everything is individualized.”

YES is a partnership between Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation (CPWDC) and CSIU. Between the two organizations, they keep the program up-to-date and continually make sure that it is a service to available to 16-24 year olds. This program accepts students whether they have a diploma or GED or any work experience, or not. With a focus on career exploration, volunteering, service projects and soft skills, YES to the Future staff help ensure that young adults who haven’t had much work experience have the opportunity to learn about working and to earn while they learn.

Karla said, “This program gets them out into the community and helps them find social and peer connections that they might have missed in school. It helps them be a part of the community, prepares them to be a contributing member, and it can show them how all of the parts of the community fit together.”

Soft skills are a huge part of the job market and participants don’t always have much experience with communication skills either. Sometimes YES to the Future staff can teach something as simple as how to appropriately call off work, how to talk to employers, or the importance of punctuality.

"These aren’t the most complex concepts, but learning how to work with other people can be just as important as learning technical skills," Karla added.

For more information, visit YES to the Future on the web or Facebook.

Written by Briana Shervinskie, a CSIU Summer 2018 Communications Intern. She is from Sunbury and is a junior at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. She is a dual major in Public Relations and Organizational Communication with a minor in Public Speaking. Having completed the CSIU internship, she is also considering a minor in Journalism.