Through a wide variety of programs, the Salesians make skills training in the latest technologies a priority in order for their students to keep up with the ever-changing job market. On-going partnerships between Salesian schools and local employers in the school communities help bridge the gap between classroom and workplace.

Here in the United States, the Don Bosco Community Center in Port Chester, New York is the site of a brand new computer lab made possible by CMIT Solutions of Southern Westchester and a donation from Richard Cashin and Robert Niehaus. Consisting of five Windows-based PC’s, six Macs, laser printers and a Mondopad, the new lab, staffed with instructors from The Digital Arts Experience in White Plains, will help disadvantaged youth learn necessary computer skills that can lead to future employment.

“We’re trying to expose children in Port Chester to this technology to get them ready for real life and teach them how to collaborate digitally,” said Paul Okura, president of CMIT Solutions, in a recent Port Chester Daily Voice article about the new computer lab. “By giving the children the opportunity to be exposed to technology at a younger age, they will be no different in their ability to tap into the digital world.”

Students without computer skills often have a tougher time competing in the job market and not just within technology fields. As other employment sectors such as nursing, finance and law move online, students who are unable to navigate the digital world will find themselves struggling to compete for livable wage employment, as Okura further elaborates in the press release.

“By the time these children grow up, they’re going to be much more competitive. They have no barriers, they will absorb information like a sponge, and will be much more technology savvy than their parents,” he adds.

The new computer lab is just one of many services offered at the Don Bosco Community Center, which has been an integral part of the Port Chester community for over eighty years. Other services include a soup kitchen and food pantry, educational programming for youth and adults and help for new immigrants and Port Chester’s long-time residents who have lived near or in poverty for years. The Community Center’s services are open to all, including adult men and women, parents in need, immigrant and day laborers and the elderly, unemployed, working poor and homeless.

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Sources:

Don Bosco Community Center Port Chester, NY – Website

Port Chester Daily Voice: Port Chester’s Don Bosco Center Launches New Computer Lab

The post UNITED STATES: New Computer Lab Enables the Teaching of Computer Skills to Prepare Youth for Employment first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Right here in the United States, the Don Bosco Community Center in Port Chester, New York, has started Café Alma, a culinary arts job training program for local teens. This new program kicked off in October with a pre-launch event hosted by Chef Rafael Palomino of Bistro Latino in Greenwich and Sonora Restaurant in Port Chester. Chef Palomino is heading up the training programs which target youth 14 to 19 years old and offer classes ranging from basic knife skills to a full culinary arts training program. The training program’s 10-class curriculum is limited to 12 students per session in order to keep the student-to-chef ratio low, allowing for more focused one-on-one attention.

“We have begun classes with our first group of local teens and we are pleased to have them here tonight to help with this fantastic event,” said Father Richard Alejunas, executive director of the Don Bosco Community Center, in a recent press release about the inaugural event for the program.

As with many Salesian technical and vocational training programs, the work goes far beyond the classroom. In order for students to truly experience the benefits of the skills they acquire, the program has built partnerships with local chefs within the community. These chefs will provide their expertise during the training and will be among those hiring graduates after their successful completion of the program.

“We began this effort in 2010 to provide meaningful job training to our youth in the Port Chester community,” explains Ann Heekin, event chair for the program, in the same launch press release. “Through the generosity of the local community, we have a solid culinary curriculum in place and a waiting list of students for the program.”

The new culinary arts program is just one of many services offered at the Don Bosco Community Center, which has been providing for the local population for over eighty years. Other services include a soup kitchen and food pantry, educational programming for youth and adults and help for new immigrants and Port Chester’s long-time residents who have lived near or in poverty for years. The Community Center’s services are open to all, including adult men and women, parents in need, the elderly, the unemployed, the working poor, immigrant and day laborers and the homeless.

“Our primary goal of all our programs is to facilitate integration, increase self-sufficiency and to decrease community tension while promoting the healthy development of youth, families and immigrants in Port Chester,” adds Fr. Alejunas.

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Sources

Don Bosco Community Center Port Chester, NY – Website

Don Bosco and Local Chefs Start Culinary Program for Teens

The post UNITED STATES: New Culinary Arts Program Gives Youth Job Training Skills first appeared on MissionNewswire.