The 2019 Kentucky Extension Community Assessment for Bullitt County Report showed that one of the priority needs for Bullitt County is better youth/adult career readiness skills.

The Bullitt County Cooperative Extension Service partnered with Bullitt County Family Court’s Court Designated Worker program to provide career readiness and workforce preparation skills to teenage juvenile offenders. Youth were selected to serve as the first cohort in the 4-H Workforce Preparation for Teens program as part of their time completing court ordered diversion. The diversion process is designed to educate, instill a sense of accountability, and deter young people from getting into further trouble.

The Bullitt County 4-H Workforce Preparation for Teens program was designed to address the requested need from the Court Designated Worker’s office, as there are limited opportunities for teens to complete the education piece of the diversion program, teens were reporting they needed help in career skills, and there were not many opportunities available to them. The program served as an opportunity to aid teens in developing essential skills needed to obtain employment during and after high school. The goals of the program are focused on learning and practicing phone and in-person interview skills, resume and job application skills, decision-making skills, and communication skills.

At the beginning of the program, 22 teens completed three mock job interviews to assess their level of success in skills areas such as hand-shake,  eye contact, tone of voice, greeting/conclusion, and poise in addition to their level of knowledge in completing a resume and job application. Nineteen teens graduated the program. In addition to a verbal evaluation, a final mock job interview served as part of the program evaluation at the conclusion of the program. The results showed that all participants increased their level of competence in career readiness skills. In a verbal evaluation, all teens reported feeling better prepared when applying for jobs after high school, feeling comfortable completing a resume and job application, and in doing a job interview.