Mowing grass isn't something most people would consider to be a memorable job. But Jeremy Thompson will probably always remember the mowing and other work he is doing for the U.S. Forest Service in Manistee because it's his first real job. Thompson got the job with the Forest Service through the Northwest Michigan WORKS! "Earn and Learn" Summer Youth Program.

"I come from a low income family and I'm able to pay the bills now," said Thompson. "This gives me a great opportunity to help, for my family."

Working for the Forest Service is also the first job Cody Kott has ever had. Like Thompson, he got the job as part of the "Earn and Learn" program.

"I've tried all over Manistee and I couldn't get anywhere without any work history," said Kott. "Michigan WORKS! helped a lot."

Rob Heidel is supervising the "Earn and Learn" workers as part of his seasonal temporary position with the Forest Service. Heidel recognizes the value of the "Earn and Learn" program because when he was in high school he also got his first job at the Forest Service as part of a Michigan WORKS! summer youth program.

"It was one of my favorite summer jobs of all time, that's why I came back," said Heidel.

He says the summer youth program helps workers learn basic job skills like showing up on time and getting along with coworkers. Heidel says they also learn to take pride in their work.

"I've already seen the transformation in a lot of them throughout the summer just in the amount of responsibility they take and ownership they take of the different projects that we have," said Heidel.

"You do good work and you feel good after you do it," said Zac Koenig, an "Earn and Learn" worker. "You see the site when you leave and it looks nice."

"I'm glad to make people say wow, this place looks amazing," said Thompson.

Besides gaining experience and earning money, the workers also have an opportunity to pick up references they can use when they look for jobs in the future.

"As long as you do a good job I'm going to say good things about you if someone calls me and asks for a reference," said Heidel. "That's huge right now in this economy having someone that you can have a good reference from."

Students at the Manistee site of YouthBuild Northwest spend a lot of time learning skills they can use to build houses. But in one class they also learned how to build a business. It was part of a series of classes offered by the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) to teach the students about entrepreneurship.

"The idea is that somebody who goes through this program can use entrepreneurship as a skill that they could bring another employer," said Chris Wendel, SBTDC Regional Director. "Or we want these participants to know that self-employment is a viable option."

The entrepreneurship classes included information about the nuts and bolts of running your own business. The students learned about things like different business structures, marketing and customer relations. They also learned about some of the challenges of being self-employed.

"You can't be delusional about any of this," said Wendel. "You have to understand if (you're) going to do this (you're) sacrificing a real job, so you have to recognize how much money do (you) need to generate."

"We've learned how our time is important and how to price things better," said Paul Purdy, a YouthBuild student. "I do a bit of building on the side for people and it helped me reevaluate my pricing."

As part of the class the students worked on a business plan for making products they were developing as individuals or as part of a team. Those products included entertainment centers, dream catchers, wooden boxes and other hand-crafted items. The students planned to market those items in a booth at the county fair.

"Sometime you go through that exercise with marketing a product...and realize this isn't going to work," said Wendel.

But if they think they can be successful with their product or service, the students are being encouraged to consider that as a business option they can continue after they finish the YouthBuild program.

"It's actually very educational," said Victoria Henkel, a YouthBuild student. It has kind of inspired me to want to do my own business later on in life."

Sherry Flores says she is learning a lot at her summer job as a front desk assistant at Northwest Michigan WORKS! in Traverse City. But besides learning she is also getting a chance to use a skill she had before she started the job-she is bilingual.

"I speak Spanish and English," said Flores. "So I've been helping out Hispanics that come in and I translate into Spanish for them."

"The current staff that we have up front do not speak Spanish," said Tina Holden, a Northwest Michigan WORKS! Resource Center Assistant. "So to have Sherry up there...it's a huge asset for us."

Her ability to speak Spanish has already helped Flores guide customers to the services
they need.

"It was about (a customer's) Medicaid for work, he didn't know what to do," said Flores. "We found a doctor for him."

Flores got her job through the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program. Besides translating she's also doing a variety of other things, including helping customers on the computer. Flores says she hasn't had much job experience in the past. She says the experience she's getting this summer is just what she needs for her résumé.

"You're getting experienced in so many different ways," said Flores. "It's going to really get you prepared to go out into a different job. So I can't wait until they see my résumé."

Drew Norman-Meadows says he didn't have much luck finding a summer job until the Supervisor at Mitchell State Park in Cadillac told him about the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program. Now Norman-Meadows is part of that program and is working at Mitchell State Park.

"I was looking for something more than a couple hours a day and that's all that people were offering," said Norman-Meadows. "So I'm just glad to have a full-time job."

Josh Anderson is also working at the park through the Earn and Learn Program. Like Norman-Meadows, he is happy to have a job.

"So many of my friends don't even have jobs," said Anderson. "They will put in 20 applications and get one call back and don't even get that job."

Anderson says this is his first real job. So besides earning money he is also gaining work experience he can put on his résumé.

"This is a very good program to start with to show employers that you're willing to work," said Anderson.

The workers aren't the only ones benefiting from the Earn and Learn Program. The work they're doing is helping the park staff finish some trail work started last summer by another Earn and Learn crew.

"It means a lot to the park and to this project," said Larry Solce, the Mitchell State Park Supervisor. "Without it we would only have one or two people working on this all summer and it would not be to the point it is now."

"It makes me feel good about myself," said Norman-Meadows. "Years down the road I'll say look at this, I did this. It's just a good experience."

Mitchell State Park is a popular camping, fishing and boating destination. The park is situated between Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac and provides an excellent opportunity to view a variety of wildlife. A historic canal connects the two lakes and runs directly through the park. Be sure to visit the Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center, located within Mitchell State Park.

When David Bacon landed a seasonal job with the DNRE at Mitchell State Park in Cadillac he had a good idea of what to expect. That's because he worked at the park last year as part of the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Earn and Learn Summer Youth Program. Bacon says the work experience he got last summer helped him get this job.

"I learned a lot last year," said Bacon. "It was really good and now I know what I'm doing out here."

"All the hard work that he did just showed us he would make a good summer employee for the state at this park," said Larry Solce, Mitchell State Park Supervisor.

While Bacon was part of a Michigan WORKS! Summer Youth crew last year this summer he is supervising one.

"I kind of like being the boss and making sure everything gets done the way it's supposed to be," said Bacon.

After he worked at the Mitchell State Park last summer and before he started there this year, Bacon worked on improving his math and reading skills through a Michigan WORKS! program called Upskills. That program provided intensive instruction to Bacon and other adults facing multiple barriers to education and employment.

"The UpSkills class was very helpful," said Bacon. "I built up my skills immensely."

Bacon says improving those skills and gaining job experience has boosted his self confidence and will help him build a better future for himself.

"It made me very proud to be able to work through Michigan WORKS! and then work myself right in to a seasonal job," said Bacon. "To have all the responsibilities that I have being a first year worker has been amazing."

From the Michigan Talent Bank:
Michigan Talent Bank

Employment Availability and Position Type:

• Better job matching will soon be possible through the use of the "Employment Availability" (full time or part time) and "Job Position" (Regular, temporary, seasonal or internship) sections in your job orders. Job seekers will also select these fields in the résumé builder.
• In the near future, when searching for résumés, you will have the additional option to match your job to résumés by selecting these criteria. This new search selection will be added to the Non-text search criteria page.

Maximum Radius:
A reduction in the maximum radius of job seeker work locations provides employers with better résumé searches and Talent Scout results. (100 miles reduced to 50 miles.)

 PDF Version of Résumé Available:

• Job seekers can now email you a PDF version of their résumé which will make it easier for you to download and save to your files.
• You will also be able to save a job seeker's résumé as a PDF version during résumé searches.

New Résumé Type Added:
We now offer three résumé types: Chronological, Functional, and Combination. The Combination résumé is the newest format and it provides a comprehensive choice for job seekers that want to display more information on their résumé.

	UpSkills Class

The last day of school is usually a time for class parties and cleaning out lockers. But UpSkills students at Northwest Michigan WORKS! in Traverse City spent their last day in class doing what they'd been doing for about eight months-working to improve their skills in math, reading, language arts and computers.

"I struggled all the way through school so I always felt I wasn't very good at it," said Ed Walter, an UpSkills student. "I've learned how to learn and work hard at it."

	Ed Walter (left)

Walter was one of ten students who completed The UpSkills class in Traverse City. The program was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and was set up to provide intensive instruction to adults facing multiple barriers to education and employment.

Bill Becker came to the class after being laid off by the company where he had worked for 25 years.

Bill Becker

"When I was laid off I noticed my writing skills were down because I hadn't kept up with that," said Becker. "I'm trying to improve."

Fred Ray also needed to improve his academic skills after the company where he had worked for 26 years closed. The UpSkills class helped him work on getting his GED.

"This class has just done wonders for me," said Ray. "I really learned a lot."

"Everyone made gains in their academic levels," said Kimberly Raymond, the UpSkills instructor. "We've seen some that gained four different grade levels."

Those gains included computer skills that two of the students helped the others learn. Some of what they learned was included in a special PowerPoint presentation the students put together to say thank you to their instructor.

Kimberly Raymond, UpSkills Instructor (left) with student

What they learned in the UpSkills class will help the students move on to college, technical training or new jobs.

"I'll have my education to get that job that I'm going for," said Ray.

"Now I can try to keep on going with this education and try and improve more," said Becker.

"I've learned a lot from UpSkills and I'll be able to go to college this fall," said Walter.

"I think all of them will now be life-long learners," said Raymond. "(They'll) be more willing to learn new skills and that's what it's all about."

James Wilson II didn't mind waiting in line before his high school graduation ceremony. That's because he had already been waiting about 40 years to graduate--ever since he dropped out of high school to join the Marines. But after a lot of hard work in the Kalkaska Michigan WORKS! Learning Lab, Wilson earned his high school diploma and became part of the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District's Adult Education Graduating Class of 2010.

"It's a great honor," said Wilson. "I'm very proud of myself for being able to do it after all these years."

Wilson was one of 119 students who received either a diploma or GED as part of the TBA Adult Ed Class of 2010. 45 of those students participated in the graduation ceremony at Milliken Auditorium in Traverse City. One of them was Gary "Buck" Mabry. He was a student speaker at the ceremony. Mabry earned his GED after participating in the UpSkills program at the Manistee Learning Lab.

"The people that I meet in the future, maybe I can lead them to the right doors in their lives," said Mabry.

The other student speaker was Brenda Sims. She went back to school after dropping out 30 years ago to raise her family.

"Don't let life stop you from graduating," said Sims. "You can do this. I did at 48."

Rhonda Skeel also dropped out of school to raise her family. By going back to school she hopes to help them recognize the importance of education.

"It's going to allow me to further my education and hopefully to get my grandchildren and my children to do the same," said Skeel.

The keynote speaker was Deanne Ashley, a single mom who earned her GED and is now going to college to become a nurse. She encouraged the graduates to continue their education.

"You don't have to settle for second best," Ashley told the graduates. "You can go forward from this point on and stand on a really firm foundation and build on it because no one's going to knock it out from underneath you."

After words of inspiration and encouragement it was time for the graduates to get something for which many of them had waited a long time--their diploma or GED.

"It's such a culminating event for all of our students and staff because they've worked so hard all year long to have this special day," said Christy Nelson, the Adult Education Coordinator for Northwest Michigan WORKS!

"I'm 57 (years old)," said Wilson. "For me to have a diploma means better opportunities for jobs, or college, or whatever I would care to get into."

A small ceremony marked a big moment for The Friends of the Manistee County Library. They met to celebrate the completion of a new handicap ramp that will allow them to hold their used book sales in a building next to the public library. The ramp was built by students from the Manistee site of YouthBuild Northwest.

"This was a real bonus for us because it meant we didn't have to pay construction costs," said Marian Jarvinen, President of The Friends of the Library. "We weren't allowed to use this building for book sales until it was handicap accessible."

The ramp was the first project the YouthBuild students worked on outside their shop. Besides providing a ramp for The Friends of the Library, the project also gave the students a chance to learn a lot about construction.

"We had to dig through two layers of concrete to sink the posts," said Dustin Timmons, a YouthBuild Student. "We sanded it and painted it all up. It was a lot of hands-on construction."

"The whole concept of level and plumb and square really was tested because we're working in a facility that's over 100 years old," said Bill Ford, YouthBuild Manistee Construction Coordinator.

Along with learning construction skills, building the ramp also helped the students learn a lesson about giving back to the community.

"By having the free labor it saved us probably several thousand dollars which of course will go to books and programming and stuff at the library," said Jarvinen.

"When you're doing something that's actually relevant to the community it reinforces the value system of the trades and just how much carpentry and construction contributes to the community," said Ford.

"It feels kind of good to know that your work is going to be used and is going to be here for a while," said Timmons.

	Mary Rose Farrington, Mike Hill

A woman who has worked with at risk youth for over 26 years has received the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District's (TBA ISD) highest honor.

Mary Rose Farrington received the Standard School Award at the ISD's annual recognition night.

Farrington is the Youth Program Coordinator for the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Division of TBA. She didn't know she was getting the award until she was introduced at the recognition event.

"I feel so honored," said Farrington. "To be recognized in this venue it just means the world."

TBA ISD Superintendent Mike Hill selected Farrington for the Standard School Award. He said her passion, love for learning and love for young people are hallmarks of her career.

"I really believe in my heart that Mary Rose Farrington was a great choice this year," said Hill.

He said The Standard School Award has been given out each year for over 30 years to the TBA employee who exemplifies high standards of excellence, work ethic and a real passion for learning.

"TBA ISD has been my home for 26 years and dealing with at risk youth has been my passion," said Farrington. "This award really isn't about me, it's about all of us that are working together on behalf of young people."

Brenda Chircop (1st Place), Kimberly Raymond (UpSkills Instructor), Andrea Rothney (Learning Lab Specialist), Dar Roberts (2nd place)

An essay about the importance of writing earned a Northwest Michigan WORKS! Adult Education student a $100 prize.

Brenda Chircop was the winner of an essay contest where students were asked to write about the importance of writing skills in today's world of work. The contest was open to Learning Lab and UpSkills Students at all five Northwest Michigan WORKS! Service Centers.

"I was very excited and thankful," said Chircop. "I feel like I've accomplished a milestone in my life."

Chircop is an UpSkills student at Michigan WORKS! in Traverse City. The program provides intensive instruction to adults facing multiple barriers to education and employment. When Chircop started in the class, her reading, writing and math skills were at a third grade level. Now she's up to ninth grade.

"I had low self-esteem at the beginning but I've built more confidence," said Chircop.

She says she did a lot of research for her essay and talked with three different employers to get their points of view.

"If you do not have good writing skills it can cost you and cause problems for your company," said Chircop.

"She [Chircop] gave a nice overview of using both verbal and written communication in dealing with co-workers and customers," said Andrea Rothney, the Learning Lab Specialist who coordinated the essay contest.

	Brenda Chircop and Dar Roberts, winners of the Michigan Works! Adult Education essay contest

Another Traverse City UpSkills student, Dar Roberts, was the runner-up in the essay contest. He won $20.

"It was the first thing I wrote in 35 years and to come out in second place is not too shabby," said Roberts.

"He [Roberts] gave some good examples of what can go wrong when there is unclear written communication," said Rothney.

Both Chircop and Roberts credited their UpSkills Instructor Kimberly Raymond for helping them improve their writing skills.

"She encouraged us," said Roberts. "She helped us to believe in ourselves and know everybody has an opportunity to be successful."

The essay contest was part of the Preparing Workers for 21st Century Employment Writing Pilot Program. The contest was sponsored by the Michigan Adult Education Professional Development Project, for the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth Office of Adult Learning.

As an adult looking at going back to school, Barbara Smith has plenty of questions about college. She was able to get a lot of those questions answered at a Career Education & Training Fair held at the Northwest Michigan WORKS! Service Center in Manistee.

"I'm currently unemployed and have two beautiful children to take care of," said Smith. "I want to find a career that's going to allow me advancement and a secure future."

Smith was just one of many people who attended the Career Education & Training Fair. The event gave attendees an opportunity to get information about a variety of post-secondary educational opportunities for adult learners.

"People are often confused with the idea of post-secondary training in the community colleges," said Christy Nelson, Northwest Michigan WORKS! Adult Education Coordinator. "They think it's a two-year or four-year degree. Actually many of these programs have very short-term trainings where people can be out in a semester or two."

Representatives from community colleges and universities were on hand to help attendees decide which education or training option might be right for them.

"They can sit down and talk face to face to somebody to get a feel for what they're looking for," said Mike Tisdale, Vice President of Admissions at Baker College of Cadillac. "Then they can take it a step further by visiting that college."

"For many of these students this is a whole new world," said Wendy Fought, Director of Admissions at West Shore Community College. "What we want to do is kind of ease their fears and then also show them how easy it really is to go to college."

"[The Career Fair] makes it great," said Mary Voss, a Career Fair participant. "I've talked to 15 different people about all these options that I have."

Along with college representatives, there was information about financial aid and No Worker Left Behind. Attendees could also use interactive computer programs to help them figure out which career might be best for them.

"It's nice having a short list of things I should be good in and would be good in and be able to pick from those," said Voss.

"It's been helpful," said Smith. I'm excited. I know what I need to do now and have people offering to help me."

53-year old Steve Krueger is not your typical college freshman. But major declines in the manufacturing industry, where he has worked for more than 25 years, prompted Krueger to pursue a degree and a new career. He and other non-traditional college students will get some help doing that through a new pilot program developed by Northwest Michigan WORKS. Krueger and the other students in the program will be mentored by non-traditional students who already know their way around a college campus.

"Our idea is to pair an experienced student, a successful second year student, with a new student coming in," said Nancy Johnson, a Learning Lab Specialist with Northwest Michigan WORKS! "Someone that knows the ropes can share a lot of information," she said.

"I thought it would be a great opportunity to have somebody take me under their wing and help me, guide me," said Krueger.

The mentors and mentees attended an orientation session to get more familiar with how the program will work. John Morency is one of the mentors. He is looking forward to helping a fellow student.

"Hopefully I can help someone through some of the struggles that I've already endured and make it a little bit easier for them," said Morency.

The mentoring program is being offered at Baker College, North Central Michigan College, Northwestern Michigan College and West Shore Community College. It's part of an effort to support adult learners called TAPET...Transitioning Adults into Postsecondary Education and Training.

"Being a supervisor for a good many years I had to take people under my wing and coach them," said Krueger. "Now I'm going to be on the other side of the fence," he said.

"There's always going to be someone that's going to have that ear for you to listen to you," said Morency.

"To have somebody in your corner that says I went through that, it's really worth it to hold on," said Johnson. "Just get through this, get the help that you need and you can do this."

"We wanted to give them some special recognition because these young people really met the challenge that we put out to them this summer," said Don Harrison, the Earn and Learn Project Manager.

That challenge was met by the 300 young adults who were part of the Earn and Learn Program. 15 roving crews and 78 individual placements worked on a variety of community based projects at about 150 job sites in northwest Michigan.

You go from painting one day to the next day you're wood chipping or building a bridge," said Rob Stocker, an Earn and Learn worker. "There are so many different opportunities that are out there. It's been a great summer," he said.

"We got to teach them quite a bit about what work really is," said Harrison. "We got to teach them quite a bit about taking pride in a job well done," he said.

For their well done jobs the Earn and Learn workers earned awards for attendance, safety, on the job, improvement, and leadership.

"It means a lot, it really does," said Rick Magee, an Earn and Learn Crew Supervisor. "You could just tell that they were getting a feeling of accomplishment and a feeling of pride in what they had done," he said.

"It's actually rather nice to have people realize that what you're doing really means something," said Stocker. "Being a teenager a lot of people don't really see that we can make a difference."