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Clark County Area Technology Center students Michael Blake Hall and Grant McCoy were recently recognized by the Clark County Public Schools Board of Education for taking part in the Youth Employment Solutions (YES) program while working for Infiltrator Water Technologies in Winchester.

So what is the YES Program?

“It is an opportunity for us to help 16 and 17-year-old students that are in career pathways to help place them in work-based learning programs so they get a chance to get experience while they are getting their education,” said Susan Bishop, an associate care manager for Adecco Jobs, the company that runs the YES Program.

The program is in the process of regaining its pre-pandemic momentum.

“The YES program was going pretty strong in the Clark County school system – our partnership with them. When Covid hit it halted everything and so we are in the rebuilding process right now, “ Bishop said.

Part of getting things back on track involved restarting YES’s partnership with the ATC and finding local companies that wanted to participate in the program.

Infiltrator, a manufacturer of wastewater and water management products, was one of the first companies to come back on board and now Hall and McCoy are in their third week of a paid summer internship for the company in its EZflow division, which manufacturers septic products.

“They have an opportunity to learn while they earn,” said Bishop, and it is an opportunity that Infiltrator hopes to offer to more students when classes resume in the fall. “They have shared with us that they hope that when schools start back that they will be able to enroll more students into this program in various departments out there.”

The process to get students enrolled in the program is straightforward. Bishop said that Hall and McCoy were recommended by their teachers at the ATC and then the pair had a discussion with Bishop at Adecco’s Winchester location – 1930 Bypass Rd. in Colby Station Center. Then the two had job interviews with Infiltrator’s production manager and human resources officials.

To find the right fit for any interested student, Bishop said that the YES Program keeps “an open line of communication” with the teachers at the ATC to ensure that the students are good candidates for work placement.

“The students are going to have good attendance. They are going to be dedicated to learning and they are going to have safety at the forefront of their mind … They have to want the opportunity to learn and do this,” Bishop said about the qualities of a good candidate.

But, before there can be more students there must be more companies to take part in the program.

“We hope to see more companies in Winchester get on board with the YES Program and to give our students an opportunity to learn. There is definitely a skills gap right now so we are looking to help bridge that gap,” Bishop said.

To learn more about the program or Adecco call 859-745-0180.