Youth Summit 2017Westchester, April 27, 2017 – On Tuesday, April 11, the Westchester-Putnam Work Development Academy for Youth hosted the Sixth Annual Youth Summit for individuals ages 16-24. The theme of this year’s Summit was “Map Out a Career Path That Will Really Take Your Somewhere.”

More than 200 youth were offered information and guidance to develop a road map to a pursue a career path that was of interest to them. They also worked on communications skills that they will be able to use immediately in any field. Keynote Speaker Byron Stewart, CEO and Founder of Mr. Purpose, inspired attendees to discover their true purpose in life, while more than 20 educational institutions and business representatives participated in the College & Career Fair, sharing valuable information as well as potential employment opportunities.

“It was my privilege and pleasure to cohost the 2017 Westchester-Putnam Annual Youth Summit. I am always struck by the talent and potential that I see in the youth that attend. This annual event has proven to be a valuable career path exploration tool for our joint area’s youth. Our ongoing commitment and support of our youth is a wise investment in our future,” stated MaryEllen Odell, Putnam County Executive.

The theme of the event was carried through on large presentation boards around the main ballroom where attendees could visible see the steps they would need to take to map out a career path in a specific industry making the process more tangible and enabling them to ask specific questions about their own chosen path. Included on the boards was the average hourly wage, the rate of growth in the industry, the number of average annual openings, the institutions they could attend to get a degree as well as other credentials they might need. The industries included were healthcare, biotech, advanced manufacturing, and information technology.

The event was coordinated through the Business Council of Westchester and run under the auspices of Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board. Sponsors included Berkeley College, KeyBank, C.W. Brown, IAC Applications, Chase, Inspiria Media and Veekast.

“Providing this opportunity for our future workforce is extremely important to our organization. As a business community, it is imperative that we have individuals who are ready and prepared for the workforce and the Youth Summit is a day that is designed to do just that,” stated Dr. Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester.

Social media played an important role during the summit and participants were asked to share the information and knowledge they were gathering as well as photos throughout the day using #WPYS17. They were also invited to participate in a survey via texting which led to an enormous response rate. In terms of value, 91% of respondents said that they found the Youth Summit to be very valuable. The programs they enjoyed most throughout the day were the team activities, workshops and the keynote speaker.

Watch on You Tube the highlights of the day.

Snapshots of the day:

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