PROGRAM AREAS
CAREER READINESS
Today’s youth are tomorrow’s workforce, and the necessity of post-secondary education is well documented. (Utah State Board of Education, 2018) More youth than ever are graduating high school and enrolling in postsecondary education. Research shows these youth are credentialed on paper, but lack the critical skills to succeed in their careers. This is America’s very real, and very critical, career readiness gap –resulting in only one in five college students saying they feel "very prepared" to join the workforce (National 4-H, 2015). Entering the workforce with soft skills and technical understandings of subjects related to personal interests is key to creating the job satisfaction and retention employers are seeking.
4-H is the nation’s largest youth development organization. 4-H is proven to develop those critical skills needed in today’s workplace by allowing youth to explore, learn, practice, and experience new opportunities found inherently in youth project areas. (Lerner & Lerner, 2011)
Utah 4-H capitalizes on the hands on experiences throughout our program by intentionally infusing research-based Career Readiness resources and curriculum in every 4-H project area.
