Our speaker today was Sophia Wahlgren. Sophia is a Pinal County Youth Program Career Planner based at the Central Arizona College campus in Apache Junction. She is a political science graduate from ASU.
The Arizona @ Work Pinal County Youth Program offers education and training to help out-of-school and income-eligible applicants become gainfully employed. Youth ages 16-24 are eligible. The Youth Program provides these services:
1. Help in obtaining a HS diploma or GED,
2. Paid work experience
3. Support services to help reach career goals
4. Work readiness and money management training
5. Assistance with tuition and books
From an employer perspective, businesses can become a site for the On-the-Job-Training program. This program helps a participant develop the skills required for a particular position in the company. It combines instruction with work experience. Eligible businesses can receive up to 75% in wage reimbursements for the selected positions. Businesses may also qualify for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit available to employers for hiring individuals from certain target groups.
For more information, contact Sophia at 480-677-7710 or sophia.wahlgren@centralaz.edu.