Workforce Development Impact

Workforce Development Impact

Impact Numbers

880

Youth Participated in

YouthForce Programs

31

Junior Staff Worked at the Club

7

Local Companies Hosted Career Camps to Show Career Possibilities

60

Club Members Participated in the Career Camps

Our Why

During summer 2023, the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County – YouthForce initiative hosted a series of seven Career Camps that resulted in 60 teen participants from throughout Portage County having real world experiences at local businesses.


The Career Camps consisted on 1-2 day events at hosted by professionals in a wide range of career areas; including, Aviation, Information Technology, Machining, Construction, and Emergency Services. Participants, parents, and business leaders all provided positive feedback about the Camps and the impact they were having. 


The parent, who is a school teacher, of one teen participant’s said that, “my son has always loved hands-on activities, but didn’t know about careers in metal machining until participating in the Career Camp at Pointe Precision. He really got excited about that industry and is interested in becoming part of the Youth Apprenticeship program. Let us know about any future Camps that he can keep signing up for.”


These are the kind of impactful experiences YouthForce is aiming to provide to teens and youth throughout Portage County. 

Why do we offer Workforce Development Programming at the Club?

  1. Career Exploration: When youth explore careers, they can consider their interests and skills and how they might connect to possible occupations. Career awareness and exploration also helps youth understand why school is important and how their learning relates to potential work they may pursue in the future.
  2. Employability Skills Development: More than ever, young people need help building the essential skills needed to succeed at work. The U.S. workforce today requires employees to be prepared with a combination of hard skills, the job-related knowledge and expertise needed to do a job effectively, and soft skills, the personal qualities that will allow them to succeed in the workplace. 
  3. Real-Life Work Experience: Youth who gain early work experience – in part-time jobs, internships or other work-based settings – enjoy career benefits in the future, including higher hourly wages, increased annual earnings and less time spent out of work. 
  4. Labor Shortage & Aging Workforce: The current labor shortage experienced by employers began in 2008 when the first Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) reached age 62 and began retiring. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2030, one in five Americans will be over 65. Because of the declining birth rate, older adults are expected to outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history by 2034 (sources: WI Dept. of Workforce Development & US Census Bureau)
  • Locally in Portage County, the size of the working-age population (ages 20-64) is expected to decline by 9.3% by 2040. Meanwhile, Portage County's retirement-age population (65+) is expected to grow by 101.7% during the same period (United Way of Portage County, n.d.).
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