In the complex world that we live in it is necessary for youth to develop basic life skills and knowledge that will help them become productive members of society. The job market is ever-changing, but some skills will always be desired by employers. How America and businesses operate is something that students need to understand in order to be competitive when applying for jobs. This is why the Greenup County 4-H Council has identified enhancing life skills as a priority for youth. 

Greenup County 4-H hosted a business “short course” entitled American Private Enterprise Systems (A.P.E.S.).  The program is for high school juniors and seniors who are interested in going into business.  This course is designed to give students the opportunity to hear from actual employers in the community to see what they desire in an employee, and learn about how business is conducted. This year’s program reached 44 participants from all three school districts in the county. Students met at the Greenup County Extension Office on the last three Mondays in October where they heard from business leaders from the area. On the last day participants took a field trip to local businesses to learn about how they operate.  The students toured Great Lakes Minerals and Print My Threads, the largest apparel and screen printing shop in Kentucky east of Lexington.  They then returned to the Extension Office for an awards ceremony. 

The A.P.E.S. program covered several different business topics, and students were quizzed on each lesson. They performed excellent on the exams with the majority of the student’s scoring 70% or higher.  The students also took a final exam, and the top five students who scored the highest on their quizzes and test were granted the opportunity to attend Kentucky Youth Seminar, a state conference in June, 2018, at the University of Kentucky.  At this conference the youth solve board cases, take exams, go on tours of Kentucky businesses, attend workshops, meet people from other states, and have the opportunity to obtain scholarships for college. The past two years we have had students receive cash prizes and two participants have received scholarships for college.