How teen workforce readiness program equips Merced students for job market

Dressed in business suits and blazers, a dozen Merced County teenagers traded a typical Thursday night for a tough lesson in the real world: Preparing for a county job market where unemployment sits at 9.4%, according to state data.

The high school students spent the evening of Nov. 13 at the Boys & Girls Club, learning the basics of financial management and sitting for mock job interviews, all in the hope of gaining a competitive edge after graduation.

The workshop was the latest in the club’s Workforce Readiness initiative through which students receive 30 hours of classroom learning, 10 hours of mandatory training in workplace conduct, and 60 hours of professional work experience. It’s put on by the Boys & Girls Club and local nonprofit, Community Initiatives for Collective Impact.

Michelle Allison, who teaches the classroom portion of the program, said it’s primarily about teaching students “life skills.”

“It’s really about learning to think critically, to understand the difference between a job and a career,” said Allison, adding that she tries to help students chart a course from job to career.

What do Merced students know about finances?

To kick off the workshop, the high schoolers shared what they already knew about money management as they introduced themselves:

• Many were familiar with credit cards, but did not know how they work
• Only three students had bank accounts
• Some made partial or full payments toward household bills
• Only one was an authorized user on a parent’s credit card

Over the course of the workshop, Pa Xiong and Bo Xiong (no relation), both representatives from Bank of America, explained how to open a bank account, the difference between checking and savings accounts, and how to calculate a budget based on recurring and variable expenses.

“It’s a great way for them to learn the fundamentals of managing their money,” said Bo Xiong, who noted that in her experience, teens are often resistant to listening to their parents, so it’s important to get an “outside view.”

Pa Xiong said she knows from personal experience what it’s like not to have financial guidance as a teen and emphasized the importance of teaching financial literacy before young adults learn “the hard way.”

One student asked if gas for the family car would be considered a recurring expense and the instructors explained that because the amount of gas could change depending on a variety of factors, gas is a variable expense. Car note payments and insurance costs, on the other hand, are considered recurring.

The teens then practiced calculating their monthly income from allowance and part-time jobs and subtracting the expenses they could predict. The workshop leaders explained to the class how payroll deductions impact net pay and how to budget accordingly. The students learned about how credit works and the importance of understanding and monitoring their credit scores.

Merced teens practice a job interview

Next, the room split into groups for interviews and each student had a one-on-one interview with a Bank of America employee.

Kaitlyn Casalduc-Gonzalez, a senior at Golden Valley High, said she was “kind of nervous” about speaking professionally in job interviews, but was reassured by her mock interviewer when given feedback on what she did well and how she could improve.

In her interview, Casalduc-Gonzalez talked about her resume, which includes childcare experience caring for her younger brother, culinary skills, and two different coding languages she is learning in school.

Also a senior at Golden Valley High, Lynda Urzua said she signed up for the program hoping to improve her communication and time management skills. Urzua is already the president of two clubs at her school: the Leo Club and the Key Club. Urzua is currently applying to colleges and said she plans to become a software engineer.

“I would say for sure to do it, specifically if you don’t have job experience,” Urzua said, recommending the program to other high school students. She noted that the program only takes two hours a day and is made to fit high school students’ schedules.

In addition to real work experience at the Boys & Girls club and the education students receive about financial planning, the program awards a $1,000 stipend to each participant. The stipend is distributed in four payments of $250 throughout the program.

The program is sponsored by Bank of America and Taco Bell, and the Boys and Girls Club is seeking additional sponsors to expand the program. In addition to financial support, Bank of America sends representatives to lead training, review students’ resumes, and help edit cover letters.

Richard Rollins, 17, said he joined the program because after applying for retail and food service jobs around Merced, he hasn’t been able to find anything.

“They don’t want to hire me without any work experience,” said Rollins, “... how do you, like, get work experience without even having any place to work?”

He said his hope for the program was to practice collaborating in a professional setting and develop job references by working with younger students at the Club.

In the coming weeks, the students will continue to learn professional skills in the classroom and receive support in developing their resumes and cover letters.

“I would tell [other teenagers] to definitely do this program,” said Rollins, “because…if you just have absolutely no clue, like, what your next move is, these people have figured everything out.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 6:00 AM.