PRIMROSE - St. Nicholas Hall in Primrose was filled Friday morning with 271 high school seniors who said "YES" to becoming the best they can be when they enter the workforce of the future.
Students from 10 districts received their graduation certificates at the Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers & Employers Council's Your Employability Skills recognition breakfast.
The breakfast was also attended by MAEC officials, sponsors, partners and elected officials: Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess and state Reps. Jerry Knowles, R-124, and Mike Tobash, R-125. The guest speaker was Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association Executive Director and First Vice President David N. Taylor.
MAEC President Darlene J. Robbins welcomed everyone and provided the invocation.
A total of 16 school districts offered the YES program in the 2013-14 school year. The districts in attendance were Blue Mountain, Crestwood Area, Mahanoy Area, Minersville Area, North Schuylkill, Pine Grove Area, Pottsville Area, Schuylkill Haven Area, Shenandoah Valley and Tamaqua Area. Other participating districts not in attendance were Hazleton Area, Williams Valley, Wyoming Valley West, and Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 and the Fort LeBoeuf High School and Central Tech High School (Erie School District), both in Erie County. In the 2014-15 school year, Pittston Area will offer the YES Northeast Program to its curriculum.
In order to earn this certificate, students must earn their high school diploma, achieve a reading and math score equivalent to grade level 9 on the TABE test, achieve a score of 21 out of 50 on the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test, demonstrate a 95 percent or better attendance rate over the school year - nine days unexcused - as well as the completion of the 120-hour curriculum.
There were 720 students enrolled this year, with 300 receiving the YES Northeast Certificate.
"There is a quote from the humorist Mark Twain who said never to let schooling interfere with your education," Taylor said. "The longer I live, the more true that is. First of all I would say is to really commit to lifelong learning. When you're young and in school, school is structured and you move up a grade every year, and you think this is what education and learning is. In fact, learning should be like breathing. Every time you encounter something new, someone new, a new subject, a new career, it gives you an opportunity to learn, to expand your horizons."
Taylor said there are many opportunities to learn in all types of careers, including when working in a manufacturing venue.
"Living life with your brain turned on, unfortunately, is not the majority position," Taylor said. "Too often, people just seem to coast through life. I implore you don't become one of those people. Be one of those people who lives life with your brain turned on."
After Robbins' overview of the certificate program, MAEC Director of Workforce Development Courtney L. Fasnacht announced the names of the YES graduates by schools. After the announcements, Fasnacht introduced three students to give their testimonials about being involved with the program. The first student was Isabella Gabriele of Crestwood High School.
"It was explained to me that it (YES) would help me get jobs in the future. Now that I have actually taken the YES class, I realize that what I have learned is so much more," Gabriele said. "There are career opportunities available that we would have never known about if we weren't in the program. Whether you're college-bound, military-bound or work-bound, YES will give you a job start in whatever you do."
The next two students were Alex Martz and Eric Phillips of Pottsville Area High School.
"Quite a few people don't take this class seriously as it should be taken," Martz said. "It really does prepare us for the future. Every single one of us going to be in the work force. Your employability skills are really no joke. Every one of you will have a job. Competition is high for jobs, and you really can't expect yourself to just walk in a business and live around college degrees and YES certificate and get a job. You have to apply yourself. Businesses look for personality and responsibility."
"Like Al said, you really need this class," Phillips said. "It teaches a lot of different things. A lot about resume writing and what you really need to get a job, how to dress for an interview, what to say at it."
After comments from Knowles and Tobash, the breakfast was closed by Fasnacht.