Engaging America’s Youth through Career Competitions

Lorna Donatone

President and COO of Sodexo Education

Youth engagement programs help young people find their path to a promising and fulfilling career through real-world experience. They foster engagement in the community, teach unique skill sets and provide future employment opportunities. Sites like Career Kids include career awareness and exploration materials for teachers and students. About Careers is targeted at children, teens and parents, who can use the site to explore how to choose an occupation, find a job, get the skills necessary to enter the work force and learn how to develop good work habits.

These programs and others are good news for the service-based U.S. economy, which needs skilled workers in many fields. For example, the opportunity for skilled culinarians is enormous, offering a multitude of career paths. Traditional—and renowned—culinary schools graduate thousands of students every year, but the demand is still increasing. How can schools and companies work together to inform, engage and prepare students for careers in the industry?

To read more go to Sodexo Insights