Slidell Launches Summer Youth Program Focused on Job Skills

Inside a repurposed classroom at a community center in Slidell, a group of teenagers spent a recent Tuesday afternoon practicing mock job interviews, trading feedback on eye contact and handshake firmness with the same seriousness they might bring to a school exam. The session is part of a new summer program aimed at teaching St. Tammany Parish teens practical job skills before they enter the workforce for the first time.

The six-week program, which launched this summer after being developed by a coalition of local business owners and school counselors, covers everything from resume writing and interview preparation to basic budgeting and understanding a first paycheck. Organizers say the idea grew out of conversations with local employers who noticed that many young applicants, however capable, often struggled with the basics of a formal job search.

Filling a Gap Between School and the Workforce

Traditional coursework rarely covers the practical mechanics of finding and keeping a job, something program organizers say leaves many teenagers unprepared for their first real interview or their first conversation about workplace expectations with a manager. The Slidell program was designed specifically to fill that gap during the slower summer months when students have more free time to participate.

"I didn't even know what a W-4 form was before this," said Jaylen Fontenette, a sixteen-year-old participant who hopes to land a part-time job at a local retail store before school starts again in the fall. "Now I've actually done a practice interview, and it doesn't feel as scary as I thought it would."

Local business owners have volunteered their time to lead workshop sessions and conduct the mock interviews, giving participants direct feedback from the kinds of employers they may eventually apply to. Several participating businesses have also committed to considering program graduates for actual open positions, giving the coursework a direct pipeline into real employment opportunities within the community.

Building Confidence Alongside Skills

Beyond the practical curriculum, organizers say a major goal of the program is building confidence among teenagers who may never have navigated a formal application process before. Role-playing exercises, group discussions about workplace communication, and guest talks from young local professionals who recently entered the workforce themselves are woven throughout the six-week schedule.

The program has drawn interest beyond its initial enrollment target, with organizers reporting a waiting list forming for a planned second session later in the summer. Funding for the pilot came through a small grant from a regional workforce development board along with in-kind support from participating businesses, which donated meeting space and printed materials.

Parents of participants have generally welcomed the program, noting that structured summer activities focused on real-world skills offer an alternative to less productive ways teenagers might otherwise spend their break. Several parents have asked organizers whether the program could expand into a year-round offering, a possibility coordinators say they are exploring depending on how the pilot summer session performs.

As the program's first cohort nears graduation, organizers plan to host a small hiring fair connecting participants directly with local employers who have expressed interest in bringing on program graduates. For many of the teenagers involved, the six weeks have offered something rarer than just a workshop: a concrete, practiced sense of what walking into their first real job interview might actually feel like.