Equipping Youth for Success through Career Exploration
MSU Extension seeks to engage youth and the adults who serve them in hands-on learning that allows youth to explore future careers and entrepreneurship while enhancing their financial literacy and developing important skills for the workforce. As a result, Michigan youth are better prepared to make important decisions about their professional future, ready to contribute to the workforce and able to take fiscal responsibility in their personal lives.
Delivered through webinars, face-to-face workshops and other mechanisms, MSU Extension offers a variety of training, curricula and materials to support career exploration and workforce development.
MSU Extension children and youth career exploration programming focuses on:
Career Preparation
For many young people, determining how they will spend their adult working life can be an overwhelming decision. To support them in their exploration, MSU Extension offers workshops and resources for youth and adults who work with them that assist young people in identifying their skills, interests and values. While helping them discover potential career pathways and continuing education options, MSU Extension also helps youth to develop real-world job skills such as writing resumes and thank-you letters, interviewing, learning a proper business handshake, networking and more.
Entrepreneurship
Michigan’s youth are filled with creative and passionate ideas that could easily become booming business ventures. To help youth understand that these ideas can turn into business plans and future careers, MSU Extension provides a variety of resources to support young entrepreneurs. Using low-risk and fun simulations, youth learn how to cultivate passionate ideas, develop a business plan, operate a business and much more. In addition to customizable youth programs, adults can also receive training on entrepreneurship curricula, resources and programs that they can use with club, school or community groups.
Money Management
No matter their future goals, all youth need to be financially literate. To help youth learn the important skill of money management, MSU Extension is making financial education fun through hands-on workshops on topics such as goal setting, decision making, budgeting, saving, investing and borrowing as well as financial services, earning potential and risk management. Adults can also receive training on how to teach these important lessons to youth through MSU Extension supported curricula.
For more information on how to get involved with MSU Extension’s career preparation and workforce development programs as a youth or volunteer, contact your county MSU Extension office or 4-Hcareerprep@anr.msu.edu.
Print
Email