RCBC completes 1st Destination Career program for underrepresented youth

The Burlington County Workforce Development Board’s Youth Sub-Committee announced Tuesday it created a three-week program to expose underrepresented youth to various in-demand industries and careers.

The program, called Destination Career: Summer Road Trips to the Real World, had students engage in career-readiness training, including interviewing skills, proper attire, networking and researching, and more.

Students also visited designated employer sites — including Multi-Housing Depot, Habitat for Humanity – ReStore, Ruotolo, Spewak & Co., Miles Technology and Radwell Industries — to tour facilities, ask questions and learn firsthand about each industry.

“The tour really opened my eyes into the manufacturing world and helped me realize how many career options are available in that one field. During the tour, I learned how complex and how many individual parts were needed in order to create a good kitchen. I enjoyed seeing how Multi-Housing Depot incorporated modern technology into their business, one example being the CAD modeling system,” Tajvir Dhillon, a student in the program, said. “I was surprised to learn that all the models were made from scratch.”

Fifteen students from Rancocas Valley High School and Lenape Regional High School will be honored July 30 for completing the program, sponsored by the RCBC Workforce Development Institute.

Rowan College at Burlington County said it will host a closing ceremony at 6:30 p.m. at the RCBC Student Success Center, room 138, at the Mount Laurel Campus.

Attending the ceremony includes Burlington County Freeholder Felicia Hopson, members of the Burlington County Workforce Development board, RCBC and RCBC’s Workforce Development Institute.

Students Niyah Cannon-Dorsey, Tajvir Dhillon, Matthew Esaia, Zaria Henriquez, Taylor Hylton, Raquel Johnson, Alec Kazandijian, Christopher Lam, Elizabeth Maschke, Zariah McBryde, Daniellia Petit-Monche, Guliana Naegeli, John Reilly, Connor Storicks and Niya Willis will be honored with certificates of completion, along with employer participants from each of the six employer sites.