With the advent of social media and “network” gaming, teens of today have become used to everything being within easy reach.  The concept of preparing, working toward, and attaining a goal is becoming a lost concept to most.  To help the students realize a job is just not going to be handed to them and that the job hunting process requires preparation and dedication, The Boone County Cooperative Extension Service provides a program called Employment 101.    Students learn how to fully fill out a job application, create a resume, and how to prepare for and conduct themselves during a job interview. The program concludes with each student going through a short mock job interview to allow them to see what the interview process is all about before actually having their first job interview.

85 8^th grade students completed Employment 101.  A written evaluation done at the end of the program revealed that 95% of the students understand the information they need to have available to complete a job application, 70% of them are now confident in their ability to secure and ably participate in an interview, and 93% indicated they were better prepared for the ordeal that job hunting can be. 

The contact teacher also gave the following as to the effectiveness of the program.  “I have had five students from last year’s program let me know they have secured their first job and attribute their success to Employment 101.”