Career Pathway Initiative

YOU is a career pathway program, pairing career exploration and awareness with skills application based on what time of the year it is. Our programming allows individuals in Kalamazoo, Calhoun, St. Joseph and Branch Counties to get paid while exploring careers - as early as age 14 - during the school year months working with a paired mentor through the online curriculum and job shadows and then apply those skills in MyCITY's paid work experience and internship availability.

Participants are encouraged to enroll in YOU on a cyclical basis learning the fundamentals of a handful of industries and testing the waters before jumping into a training or credential opportunity through CareerNOW. 

This new initiative is designed to fill gaps in youth services related to participant training, internships and staff professional development. The Career Pathway Initiative is currently funded through grants from Consumers Energy Foundation, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation and the Southwest Michigan Regional Prosperity Initiative. 

In action

We observed a rather significant need for increased youth programming in the city of Albion. The Career Pathway Initiative provides us year one funding to establish MyCITY there in hopes the community will support it in subsequent years.