Taste of the
real world

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

Many of Shayna Wilkerson’s peers plan to make money this summer by working jobs that share little in common with their long-term career goals.
But Wilkerson, 17, who attends Mastbaum Technical High School, decided to get some experience in her desired field, graphic design, by enrolling in the Summer Career Exploration Program (SCEP) at the Frankford Group Ministry.
Through SCEP, Wilkerson nabbed a part-time job at Action Enterprise in Frankford. Instead of flipping burgers, she’s getting paid to create fliers and handle design requests from customers.
In addition, SCEP will help Wilkerson with her resume, interview skills and professionalism so that she can get a job in her field after college.
"I am happy I came into this, because you get resume experience, and experience in a field you want to work in," she said.
Wilkerson and 19 other local students began the six-to-eight-week SCEP program on July 2. Designed to give both public and parochial school students paid, hands-on experience in a field of their choice, portfolio skills and school credit, SCEP is operated at several sites in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs.
The Philadelphia Youth Network took over SCEP in 2003, but the program began about 25 years ago under the William Penn Foundation. More than 1,000 students participate in the program each year.
This year’s Frankford SCEP job sites include a hair salon, bakery, day-care center, hospital and legislative office. The mostly 11th- and 12th-grade students work 20 hours a week for minimum-wage rates and get one credit toward a humanities course.
While, in essence, students "have the job" when they enroll in the program, coordinators still make them go on interviews to give them real-world practice.
Though she now heads the program at Frankford, Nicole Davis was a SCEP participant and can attest to its benefits.
"I have a good group of kids," she said. "Almost everyone is a (returning student)."
Some, however, slip through the cracks. Davis recalls one male student who last year opted to make money by selling drugs instead of completing his SCEP job.
The businesses that participate are also prone to dropping in and out of the program based on their budget constraints. Each job site pays for five hours of work per student while PYN handles the remaining hours.
But for the most part, SCEP continues to produce success stories in Frankford.
Leroy Edwards, 19, went through SCEP at Action Enterprise in 2003. The business kept him on as a summer worker, and Edwards eventually saved up enough money to buy into the company. He now oversees student workers like Wilkerson.
"It taught me a lot of responsibility, how to carry myself, how to deal with people," he said.
Kristopher Gracia, 17, didn’t like his job at a bakery when he started SCEP last summer.
But Gracia, who admitted that he had some issues with self-discipline, stuck with the toil and got the award for most improved student during the SCEP awards banquet last year.
"I think SCEP’s a good program," said Gracia, who actually wants to go to college for communications. "It teaches you a lot, and when you go out you can find an actual job."
Angel Tenant, 18, a Cardinal Dougherty High School graduate, has worked at several job sites, including Friends Hospital.
Tenant, who wants to work in health care, said that even if the job isn’t a perfect match, student workers still glean real-world skills.
By performing clerical tasks, answering phones, dealing with people and navigating the chain of command, Tenant learned skills that can be applied to any workplace. In addition, the Saturday morning portfolio sessions, while often grueling for sleepy students, help them get an edge on the competition. Students learn how to write a resume and cover letter, discuss how they would handle different job scenarios and practice other job skills.
"You don’t just have a job," said Tenant. "You have the workshops, even though we hate them."
Aneesha Reeder, 19, now a junior psychology major at Tuskegee University in Alabama, completed SCEP in 2003 and 2004 and now works as an adviser to students in the program.
While it’s hard to get some students on track at first, most see in the end how they’ve grown through the program.
"You learn how to deal with situations and people before you really graduate high school," said Reeder, who worked at the Frankford Beacon Center.
Eileen Quigg, employment and training coordinator at Friends Hospital, has hired SCEP students for the last few years. She has three students working this summer as dietary aides and in the human-resources department.
Since Friends is a behavioral and mental-health facility, Quigg looks for compassionate and mature students to fill the summer slots. She also gives constructive criticism to each of her workers, but says that, overall, the students perform well.
"I would say it’s a bit of a tough program," she said. "My expectations are very high. (But) we’re happy to participate in the program." ••
SCEP is always in need of more employers. For more information, contact the Philadelphia Youth Network at 267-502-3800 or visit www.pyninc.org.
Reporter Lauren Fritsky can be reached at 215-354-3038 or lfritsky@phillynews.com