Congaree Career Launch
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 15, 2024
(Jasper County, South Carolina) – The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry is pleased to announce the Congaree Career Launch program at Jasper County Career & Advanced Technology Education Center (JC CATE). This free of charge program is offered to Boys and Girls Club teens in grades 9-12, thanks to the full financial support of the Congaree Foundation.
The JC CATE Campus has eight career pathways: Aerospace Technology, Business Management, Cybersecurity, Family Consumer Science, Health Science, Horticulture, Information Technology and Distribution & Logistics.
Congaree Career Launch provides opportunities for teens within Jasper County to explore careers along these 8 pathways and prepare youth with employability skills for future success. The program also connects teens to real-life work experiences such as internships and apprenticeships.
There are 3 components to the program. The first component to Congaree Career Launch is training. In this, the focus is to prepare participants to obtain and retain employment. The second component is financial literacy. This helps participants learn essential budgeting and money management. The third component, workforce opportunities, includes learning experiences such as internships, apprenticeships, and job-shadowing with local businesses. It also has a junior staff program to hire teens for part-time roles in the execution of club programming.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry has also partnered with JC CATE during the school day for additional teen outreach. They recently held an etiquette class where teens learned the basics of setting the table and dining out. Students from the SkillsUSA, Aerospace and Family & Consumer Science group participated.
Through Congaree Career Launch, Club teens embark on a journey to explore possible vocations, make sound educational decisions, and find success in the world of work. The program is offered Tuesday – Thursday. Tuesdays are reserved for instruction, Wednesdays is an administrative day with office hours allowing teens to receive further assistance (for example, a student can schedule a time to receive additional help on their resume or to complete a job application), and Thursdays are dedicated to hands on activities such as mock interviews, career fair, and job shadowing both on and off campus.
The program is located at Jasper County School District Career and Advanced Technology Education (CATE) Center, 250 Jaguar Trail Ridgeland, SC 29936 and can be reached by phone at (843) 489-8892. The Site Director, Stephanie McCants, welcomes questions. Applications for enrollment can be done through Boys and Girls Club Membership at www.bgclublowcountry.org/membership-1
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About the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry serves more than 1,100 youth ages 6-18 across 10 locations in Beaufort and Jasper Counties. The after-school programming is focused around three areas: career/academic preparedness, healthy lifestyles, and good citizenship and character. The mission of the Boys & Girls Club is to enable all youth, including those who need it most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. More than a babysitting service, the Club provides a safe, all-inclusive environment with enriching programming that levels the playing field and sets children up for success. Great futures start at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry.