A good laptop computer is important to succeeding in college today, but they are not cheap. That is why six college-bound high school seniors jumped at the opportunity when the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Youth Transition Program at the Bell County JobSight workforce center recently offered each participant in the program a laptop computer valued at $1,000.

The laptops were not totally free, however; they were "incentives." To earn them, participants had to complete an array of scheduled summer events and workshops that would help them discover and build their job skills and point them toward careers where those skills will be most useful.

"The goal of the program is to provide youths graduating from high school and entering either college or employment with the tools and information to make a successful transition," said Shawn Jones, WIA Youth Transition coordinator at the Bell County JobSight. "Once the youths attended and completed those activities-which went hand-in-hand with their plans for life after high school-they were rewarded with the laptops to help them remain on the right track to make a successful transition into adulthood."

That approach proved to be a tremendous success, according to Jones.

WIA Youth Transition participants who earned laptops included Sara Evans, Ashley Rorick, Ron Rhymer, William Buis, Coletta Locke, and Abigail Fain Lawson, all of whom are now enrolled in a Kentucky college or university.

For participants who chose to go to work rather than going to college, the program offered an incentive award better suited to their situation as non-students. Participants who obtained a post-graduate job earning more than the program's target wage-like Justin Dozier, who landed a job with Cumberland River Comprehensive Care Center in Middlesboro-received a debit card that could be used to purchase up to $100 per month of work-supporting items like gasoline and tools. If the participants remain in the job, these debit cards remain active until the total support provided equals the value of the laptops awarded to the college-bound participants.

The debit cards are intended to help the participants launch themselves into successful, self-sufficient careers, just as the laptops help the college-bound participants launch themselves toward a degree.

The WIA Youth Transition Program provides a broad array of services including: tutoring, study skills, leadership development, mentoring, guidance and counseling. The program also places teens and young adults in both public and private-sector work experience jobs that match their interests and teach career skills. The program is funded by the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP), and operated locally through the Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency at the Bell County Jobsight in Pineville.

Janet Jackson, WIA Youth coordinator at the Bell County JobSight, said the program accomplishes its overall mission when participants get involved in the program's workshops and events. Students who earned the incentives-laptops or debit cards-successfully participated in several activities, including: this year's Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society; college-preparatory financial planning, financial aid, budgeting, and self-defense workshops; and the Discover job-skills inventory.

"Armed with the right tools and knowledge, there is nothing that these youths cannot do," Jackson said. "They presented drive, determination, and the will to succeed by completing the activities to obtain the incentives, and these are all qualities that a successful person exudes.

"These youths are our future leaders in the community," Jackson continued, "and by assisting and supporting the youth in our community, we strengthen our future as a whole."

For additional information on the WIA Youth Transition Program, contact Shawn Jones or Janet Jackson at 606-337-3044.