The longstanding relationship between Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection (HW-SC) and Wegmans Food Markets—HW-SC’s leading employment partner—is featured in Investing in Entry-Level Talent: Retention Strategies that Work, a new report produced by the consulting firm FSG (www.fsg.org).
The FSG report profiles companies nationwide that are using innovative programs to help entry-level employees stay in their jobs and advance with their employers. HW-SC’s Jobs Institute helps eligible student participants connect with part-time jobs while maintaining good grades and school attendance, while employment partners such as Wegmans work closely with the student and their Youth Advocate to make sure their professional experience is equally successful.
Currently, almost 600 HW-SC students are employed at Wegmans stores throughout the regions in which HW-SC is active, out of more than 800 HW-SC students employed overall. And the high school graduation rate for HW-SC students who have gone through job training and are employed with a Hillside employment partner is 96 percent.
Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection serves nearly 4,500 youth at risk of failing to graduate from high school. The program delivers assistance through an evidence-based model that combines long-term mentoring with job training, part-time work experience and year-round academic support. A public-private partnership, HW-SC is active in the greater Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo areas; in Rome and Salamanca, NY; and in Prince George’s County, MD, and Washington, DC.
To read the full FSG report, visit www.fsg.org/publications/investing-entry-level-talent.