The FY25 Next Stop Program will have two primary components:

• Our Next Stop Career Summer Program will begin with (1) week-long summer session July 15th - July 19th . The session will take place over (5) days (Mon-Fri 9am-4pm) at Partners for Kids and Families, which is within 20 minutes of our target communities: Willingboro, Mt Holly and Burlington City.
• The Next Stop Career Lunch and Learn Sessions will take place once per month at (1) school from one of our targeted communities (Pemberton, Rancocas Valley, Willingboro, Burlington City), TBD. Aspire staff will teach a 30-45-minute lesson on a different workplace readiness topic each month from October-May during students’ lunch periods.

The program will be offered to both Partners for Kids and Families participants as well as other Burlington County youth in need of support to ensure job readiness. Target communities were selected due to their high poverty and low rates of educational attainment, compared to the rest of the county (Census.gov, 2020). The Next Stop Career program will bridge that gap, both bringing the resources, guest speakers and opportunities to students, as well as by transporting students to other parts of the county through field trips and hands-on learning opportunities.  

Next Stop Career Summer Program

The summer program will take place at the Partners for Kids and Families training space in Westampton. The week-long summer programs will provide a minimum of (15) participants with (7) hours of training each day, five days a week (M-F) for a full week. Feedback from both participants, their families and our staff indicated the need for a more condensed version of the program, therefore we have adjusted the schedule from previous year’s.  Participants may include high school students, as well as high school graduates who are not enrolled in post-secondary education. There will be an emphasis on students living in low-income communities in specific high-need towns including Pemberton, Browns Mills, Mt Holly, Burlington City and Willingboro.

The summer program will combine various mediums to ensure participants stay engaged and we account for the diverse learning styles of students. We will use the Conover Workplace Readiness program as our core curriculum to instruct and evaluate youth on the key soft skills needed through three components:

• The Job Readiness Series covers critical soft skills employers are looking for when assessing potential job candidates.
• Job Seeking Series includes key job seeking skills needed to find, apply, interview, and accept a job.
• Job Keeping Series includes practical tips on how to effectively relate to customers, supervisors, and co-workers.

To facilitate participant’s self-discovery, we will use the following assessment tools:

• High 5: Participants will discover what makes them tick – their unique strengths profile.  Studies show that focusing on using one’s strengths instead of fixing weaknesses has a significant positive effect on physical, mental and social well-being.
• O*NET: Participants will discover what occupations they might enjoy and learn more about it from the occupational profiles, including necessary skills, education, and certification.   The assessment describes occupations in terms of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required as well as how the work is performed in terms of tasks, work activities, and other descriptors to provide broad results including many new occupations.

Employer tours will be provided during the second half of the week to allow for more hands-on experiential learning. The employers featured will represent various “In-demand” industries in New Jersey, with a high potential for career growth. The tours or presentations will highlight opportunities in the industry and the company’s history and mission. In addition, we will focus on key skills that would help an employee be successful in the company, training needs for growth and advancement as well as a “behind-the-scenes” insights of the company and its various departments. Transportation from our training location will be provided to and from all employer tours. There will be a focus on companies that are accessible to students and offer entry level employment opportunities with potential for career growth. Identified industries will be selected based on their projected growth and in-demand job opportunities including Advanced Manufacturing, Transportation, Logistics & Distribution, Healthcare, Retail, Hospitality & Tourism, Finance, and Information Technology.

Age Groups	Adolescents
Community Services	Arts & Recreation Recreation / Social / Sports Basic Needs / Assistance Financial Counseling / Literacy Community Community Service Education Professional Education / Training Employment / Training Job Search Job Training Life Skills Training Preparing for Adulthood
Treatment Services	Outpatient Services Social Skills
Payment Types	System of Care (CSOCI Medicaid / FlexFunds)
Areas Served	Burlington County

Last Updated: 05/21/24