Students Graduate From Shell Youth Training Academy.

With signs that our robust economy may be slowing and some companies scaling back their workforces, the right job search skills, interview techniques and on-the-job experience are increasingly critical for young people looking to find good paying jobs. One Hundred inner-city Oakland students will graduate from the Shell Youth Training Academy armed with the tools, knowledge and real-life work experiences they need to compete in today’s changing market.

The Shell Youth Training Academy (SYTA), with locations in Los Angeles, Oakland and Chicago, operates in partnership with the public school system and is funded by the Shell Oil Company Foundation and recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. The Academy in Oakland — modeled after the Los Angeles SYTA which was established as part of the “Rebuild LA” effort resulting from the riots in 1992 — opened its doors in February of 1998 and has since graduated 350 students. The nationally acclaimed school-to-career program boasts 90 percent of its graduates going on to college or finding good-paying jobs.

“The kids who come to us have so much potential locked up inside of them, but no one has taken the time to teach them how to build a resume, how to carry themselves in a job interview, how to write thank you notes to prospective employers, or even how to shake hands properly,” said Clyde Bouligny, Shell Oil’s Community Relations manager in Oakland. “To so many of us, these skills seem like simple things, but for kids working hard to graduate from an inner-city school, such skills can make all the difference when it comes to landing a decent job.”

By requiring a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) for admission into the Academy, Shell ensures that the SYTA is available to as many students as possible, not just the top academic performers. The program — approved as an elective course in which students can earn high school credit towards graduation — trains juniors and seniors from the Oakland Unified School District each semester on how to get and keep jobs. The SYTA works in partnership with the Oakland Unified School District.

The program consists of occupational and employment skills training and structured workplace learning with courses examining interview techniques, resume writing, retail skills, career planning, computer skills, and workplace ethics. In addition to classroom training, students enrolled in the program are placed in jobs where they will work 12-16 hours a week for the duration of the training. Shell Oil pays 50 percent of the students’ salaries while in jobs with partnering businesses, as well as providing a stipend for their travel expenses.

Bouligny added, “In the long run, everyone, including Shell, benefits if the communities in which we live, work and do business are prosperous. If we can arm our young people with the tools that will lead them into good paying jobs or to institutions of higher learning, then we will have taken a giant step towards creating a prosperous community.”

For more information on the Oakland Shell Youth Training Academy please call 510-601-9550 or visit http://www.sytaoakland.com.