Welcome 2023 Fellows and Partners!

RTW Academy and University Overview

RTW Academy is our middle school program and RTW University is our high school program that support the skill building and job readiness work leading up to paid summer work in community service projects (Academy) or internships (University).
Click here to see our our past Guest Speakers and Mentors. Both RTW Academy and RTW University engage guest speakers and mentors through all four sessions.

Mission & Goals

The goals of Ready to Work University are to encourage Members to:

  • build their foundational skills for life and work
  • explore their career interests and passions
  • prepare for work-based learning and employment opportunities through BGCB
  • join together as a network of young people from Boston and Chelsea interested in personal development through workforce readiness

Achieving Our Mission

In addition to support for the above, the RTW Team &  BGCB Club Staff emphasize:

  • providing an uplifting and secure environment
  • connecting youth with mentors and support
  • helping students stay on track academically
  • supporting youth to develop their employability skills
  • exposing youth to information on career pathways
  • developing a robust pool of speakers, mentors, and employers of color in all sectors
  • collaborating with other job readiness efforts to learn and employ best practices
  • marshalling existing career and job readiness resources
  • creating opportunities for BGCB Members to apply what they have learned in work experiences
  • building relationships and partnerships with employers and others who can offer job experiences to BGCB Members and Fellows

Activities

RTW University activities include:

  • paid summer internships – All participants who commit to becoming a Fellow and complete the Winter and Spring Sessions in good standing will be guaranteed paid summer internships in the Club, in an outside placement, or with RTW
  • workshops, meetings, special events and conference calls focused on employability skill building and self-care
  • school vacation job shadow opportunities and special events
  • mentorship activities
  • career guidance
  • network building

YEAR-ROUND CURRICULUM IN 4 SESSIONS:

  • Fall: October 2022 – December 2022
  • Winter: January 2023 – March 2023
  • Spring: March 2023 – April 28, 2023
  • Summer: July 2023 – August 2023 schedule changes from weekly to week long units to run concurrently with summer internships

Click here to see our Guest Speakers and Mentors

The Sessions

FALL SESSION

October – December, Soft Skills Building

During the Fall session, the RTW Team will focus on building each Fellow’s confidence and voice and spend time on guiding Fellows through a process of self discovery – what are their values,  their non-negotiables, passions, challenges? This work is the basis for everything else the Fellows will learn – how to set goals, communicate effectively, act professionally, solve problems. Our goal is to teach lifelong interpersonal skills and strengthen soft skills that will be effective for our Fellows in all settings – at school,  in work, as leaders of community, with family. We also want and need the Fellows to enjoy themselves and get to know and feel good about the RTW Team – they are making a deep commitment and we want to be sure to see them after the holidays!

WINTER SESSION

January – March, Professionalism, Goal Setting, and Interviewing

During the winter session, Fellows will use the foundation they built during the fall session, encouraging Fellows to think about their values, non-negotiables, and goals to move into discussions on what it means to act as a professional including effective communication and problem solving. Fellows  will continue to hear from guest speakers on a variety of topics and explore the idea of being true to yourself while also acting professionally. They will also build their interview skills with two sessions of mock interviews with a variety of BGCB’s corporate partners. Many Fellows will be interviewing for their summer positions at the end of this session.

SPRING SESSION

March – April, Financial Literacy and Public Speaking

During spring session, Fellows are receiving individualized support for the job application process and interviewing for placements. Club staff are finalizing junior staff and other position hiring within the Clubs. Our Jobs Specialists finalize matches for those working outside the Clubs. In addition, the RTW team focuses with Fellows on the financial literacy that can be learned through an entrepreneurship project. Workshops, special events, and guest speakers continue to provide Fellows career exploration opportunities. Everything wraps up with graduation!

SUMMER SESSION

July – August, Career Exploration and Community Service

During the weeks early weeks of June, we will hold meetings on getting ready for summer work. At the beginning of the July session, Fellows are working in jobs inside and outside the Clubs and with RTW and receiving support from the RTW team as well as skill building workshops, special events, community service, podcast and blog work, mentor meetings, and other opportunities.