Providing children with the knowledge and tools they need in order to be successful is a critical part of preparing them for their future. There are many different ways to do this, including educating them, teaching them healthy eating habits, ensuring they get enough physical activity each day, and teaching them skills they will need throughout their lives. 

Making sure children are gaining the knowledge and skills to be workforce ready is the central goal of Workforce Readiness Month—also known as National Workforce Development Month—which occurs in September each year. In this article, we’ll discuss what workforce readiness is and why it is so important.

What Is Workforce Readiness?

Workforce readiness is defined as “preparing new and returning workers with the knowledge, skills and abilities to meet employers' need for skilled workers.” This ensures that workers are properly prepared to enter the workforce and earn a living. It’s also crucial for helping workers to avoid being unemployed and having no source of income. As of August 2022, there were 6 million unemployed adults in the United States.

Workforce development is particularly important for children, as learning the necessary skills and knowledge they will need when they join the workforce will help them be successful, able to compete for and find a job, and allow them to support themselves once they are done with school.

Workforce Readiness Month highlights the continued need to provide younger individuals with the tools and resources that will help them build successful careers and prosperous futures.

While you can’t prepare children for every type of work they may want to pursue, there are general skills and abilities you can help them develop that are universal, like communication skills, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and more. These will be crucial in just about any field they go into. These skills can be developed in a number of different ways, including:

• Education plans
• Job shadowing
• Mock interviews
• Career counseling
• Speakers at schools
• Programs and clubs

At the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Delta, we do whatever it takes to build great futures. We aim to serve the children in our communities, especially by keeping them safe and healthy while promoting respect and equality. One of the ways we do this is through our afterschool programs, which provide a safe place for all children where they have access to homework help, fitness activities, workforce development, literacy activities, and more.

Each of our programs and clubs provides kids with a safe place to play, learn, exercise, and receive nutritious foods. Find out how you can get involved with our organization by signing your child up for a club or afterschool program, making a donation, or volunteering to help our cause today!