Transform Missouri Initiative

Next-Generation Jobs Team

A participant in the Next Generation Jobs Team summer youth employment program, Jozlyn Hardison is seen here filing documents for Human Resources manager Kellie Schmidt at Villa Marie Senior Center. (Photo by Polly Taylor)

Missouri’s Next-Generation Jobs Team, or NGJT, was Missouri’s summer employment program that began on May 1, 2009 and concluded on Sept. 30, 2009.

With summer internships and work experiences at over 2,100 employers across the state—and the support of over 320 career counselors—NGJT prepared over 7,200 young Missourians to compete for and excel in the high-tech, high-paying careers of the 21st century.

Wages for the young workers were funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Governor Nixon led the efforts to launch the vital program, visiting several businesses such as ABC Labs in Columbia, MO, Cerner Corporation in Kansas City, and Associated Electric Cooperative in Springfield. NGJT was especially advantageous for businesses, since it helped train the next generation of workers for their company and industry.

As indicated in the articles in the NGJT in the News section to the right, the Next-Generation Jobs Team was a success on many fronts. In addition:

• By mid-August, Missouri had already exceeded planned NGJT enrollment for the entire length of the program.
• The outstanding NGJT employers represented Missouri’s diverse economic base and included cutting-edge, high-tech industries such as green energy, technology, health care and life sciences.
• To ensure the youth were best prepared for their internships, the counselors from Missouri’s 14 local workforce investment regions provided intensive work readiness training, individual service strategies and other supportive services.

Thank You

The Next-Generation Jobs Team program has concluded. Thank you for your interest. If you have any questions, contact Mike Waltman at mike.waltman@ded.mo.gov or (573) 526-8267.