L&G’s Kaysha Fletcher Wins Top Honors
BDCC’s Pipelines and Pathways Program collaborates with Leland & Gray High School each semester to bring the Senior Survival course to life, covering topics from punctuality, handshakes, and tie tying, to understanding the importance of flexibility, resilience, and maintaining a good reputation. Every student finishes a series of challenges like resume and cover letter writing, mock and informational interviews, and a host of other assignments.
Kaysha Fletcher, who was hired as a Unit Clerk following her informational interview with The Brattleboro Retreat, will receive the Windham Work Ready Scholarship this year. This scholarship is awarded to a student who exemplifies the accountability, initiative, professionalism, positivity, and resilience necessary to excel in the professional world.
“I chose Kaysha because she used the opportunity provided to her with the informational interview and took it to the next level,” said Flexible Pathways Coordinator Terry Davison-Berger. “She listened to what they offered and chose to pursue a career with them. She came in to work on her cover letter and resume and practice her interviewing skills prior to her meeting with them. And throughout her application/interview process she followed through and checked in with me. Kaysha exemplifies the goal of the partnership between Senior Survival and BDCC.”
As a Unit Clerk in the Inpatient Child Unit, Kaysha will work alongside Health Techs to develop the necessary skills to attain that position. If she chooses to pursue nursing, social work or other health-related careers, the The Retreat will subsidize her tuition after she has worked there for one year. According to The Retreat’s employee handbook, employees are encouraged “to be proactive in their own career development by engaging in formal education activities to further develop their current job skills and to prepare them for future career development in the behavioral health field.”
“The Retreat is just one of many examples of quality employers in our region who offer great benefits packages and this type of educational support,” said Christy Betit, P3 Program Manager. “When I survey local students, again and again, they tell me the only jobs available in this area are making pizza or working at a convenience store. While those types of jobs can be valuable entry level learning experiences, they rarely offer good wages, benefits or career ladders,” she said. “We need students, parents and teachers to know that these opportunities exist right in their own backyard.”
Said Laura Harrower, Human Resources Specialist at The Retreat, “We were so impressed by the students we interviewed at Leland & Gray. They were all very sweet, empathetic, and Kaysha will be an asset. That’s what we’re looking for – good people to join our team.”
About Pipelines & Pathways
BDCC’s Pipelines and Pathways Program (P3) provides employment oriented career-planning for the region’s high school students. It brings training in 21st Century skills, work-based learning, and personal learning plan (PLP) engagement opportunities to all four public high schools in Windham County. The program assists in developing workforce-oriented curricula, expanding classroom relationships, and growing work-based learning through opportunities with local employers. It also supports teachers working face to face with students to implement personal learning plans and seize the myriad opportunities presented by Vermont’s Flexible Pathways Initiative under Act 77. Pipelines & Pathways is a BDCC Workforce Center of Excellence program based on SeVEDS strategies to increase the size and quality of the workforce. For more information please visit https://brattleborodevelopment.com/workforce/
Funding for P3 is provided by the McClure Foundation, Vermont Training Program, Vermont Community Foundation, the Windham County Economic Development Program, The Thomas Thompson Trust, the George W. Mergens Foundation, People’s United Bank, Tom Smith – Omega Optical, and Chroma Technology in Bellows Falls.
