FHS again partners with Workforce Council to offer students employment

FRANKLIN

Those who call Franklin City Public Schools’ central office in City Hall, or any of the division’s three schools, may find themselves talking to a Franklin High School student.

As of Sept. 13, there were a total of 13 FHS students participating in the Hampton Roads Workforce Council’s in-school youth career program. This is according to Mona Murphy, who, in addition to being an FHS teacher, also serves as that school’s site coordinator for the Workforce Council program.

This program, which is in its third year at FHS, offers employment opportunities to high school juniors and seniors with participating employers, including FCPS. Students who participate in the program are paid with grant money awarded to FHS from the Workforce Council, rather than by the participating business, and typically work three hours per day, for a total of nine hours per week and 36 hours per month.

Tammy Moore, program assistant for the Workforce Council program at FHS, said students who are employed by FCPS through the program serve in various clerical capacities, including receptionist duties. Depending on the day-to-day needs at each school and the central office, students may also assist with the front office in each school, assisting with filing and mailing projects and setting up community events.

Additional participating employers include Franklin Fire & Rescue, Bronco Federal Credit Union, Unique Unlimited Fashions in downtown Franklin, and other businesses. This month, McDonald’s became the latest business to join the Workforce Council’s lineup of participating employers.

“We are very excited about the partnerships we’re establishing in the Franklin community, and outside the Franklin community,” said FHS Principal Travis Felts.

According to McDonald’s District Manager Lisa Mosley, who presented information to FHS students on Sept. 13 regarding employment opportunities at McDonald’s, students who obtain employment at McDonald’s through the program will be eligible after 30 days to apply for a scholarship from the company. To maintain eligibility for this scholarship, which is in the amount of $2,500, students must not only keep up their grades, but also be good employees.

“If you don’t show up [for work] on time … you could forfeit your scholarship,” she said.

Plans are also in the works to create a job opportunity for FHS students at the Downtown Franklin Association office, Murphy said. As for positions that require training, employers that partner with FHS and the Workforce Council provide this on the job at no cost to the students.

Several of the employers who participate in the Workforce Council program at FHS, including McDonald’s, were recruited through the efforts of Teresa Beale, president of the Franklin-Southampton Chamber of Commerce. Moore said FHS needs at least 25 students to obtain employment through the program each school year in order to comply with the terms of its Workforce Council grant. Not reaching this target could impact future grant awards from the Workforce Council, she explained, which was formerly called Opportunity Inc.

In addition to paid work experience, Franklin High School’s partnership with the Workforce Council also provides students with access to various activities throughout the school year, including college tours, financial literacy classes provided through the High School Financial Planning Program, and field trips to various Hampton Roads Regional NextGen Opportunity Fairs, which provide information on employment, volunteer and post-secondary opportunities.

According to Kim Stevenson, the Workforce Council’s youth program follow-up assistant, the Workforce Council also offers programs for out-of-school youth, intended to help them obtain industry credentials and paid work experience.