ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - Two high school students are learning more about history and gaining work experience as apprentices at the Museum Support Building.
Sam Stubing, 15, a Harford Technical High School sophomore, and Brian Levine, 16, a Patterson Mill High School junior, are in the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation's HIRED! program. HIRED! provides paid apprenticeships for 15 to 18-year-olds. During the summer term, apprentices work eight hour shifts, two days a week, assisting with basic duties that are appropriate for their age and level of experience.
During their apprenticeship, Stubing and Levine are cataloging and resizing historical photos for the museum's database. They are also assisting in unloading, unpacking, and cataloging artifacts from Fort Monmouth, N. J. that will eventually go in the APG Museum.
This collection of artifacts came to APG after the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command relocated to APG and Fort Monmouth closed as a result of base realignment and closure. The artifacts will be displayed in the new APG Museum, projected to open next year.
Ed Heasley, acting APG Museum director, said that he wanted to work with apprentices this summer because he needed the extra help.
"They are helping me do an inventory," Heasley said. "Making sure that everything came down from Fort Monmouth that was supposed to come down. I believe that if teens get an opportunity to work or volunteer at a museum, they should take it. It looks good on a resume, and they will get an experience that not too many people get. And, they are learning to work together as a team."
Heasley added that working for the APG Museum requires background knowledge in a variety of subjects like history, mathematics, technology, science and engineering.
Stubing and Levine said that they were eager to get some work experience under their belt before graduating high school.
"Working at APG I thought was special, a good opportunity," Levine said. "I felt like I would learn more working here. Most teens don't get the opportunity to work on a military base. Maybe I will work here someday."
"The HIRED! program gives you job experience, I feel like now I can make better decisions," Stubing added.
Levine and Stubing added that the HIRED! prerequisites prepared them for future success, covering topics like resume writing, interview techniques, and money management.
"Most teens don't discuss these kind of things until it's too late," Levine said.
About HIRED!
The HIRED! program offers a variety of job placements for teens of military and government civilians assigned to APG. To secure an apprenticeship, candidates must achieve and maintain a 2.0 grade point average or higher before completing a pre-assessment and interviews with facility managers. Depending on the skills and interest teens show in these interviews, they are placed under the direct supervision of a designated onsite mentor who is responsible for tutoring their individual apprentices.
Career options in the HIRED! program include: education, child and/or youth development, marketing or graphic design, library and information science, food and beverage management, pet care education, information technology, sports studies and sports management. Students may participate in the program twice a year between the ages of 15 and 18.
Additional requirements for the students include participating in other career preparation enrichment activities such as workshops and classes where students learn how to complete financial aid forms and scholarship applications. Students will also be expected to keep a journal of their experience.
Teens will receive experience that will make them competitive in future job opportunities and college applications." Jay McKinney, APG'S HIRED! coordinator. "Students will develop work and life skills, like customer service, and resume writing, that will be applicable to any job they might pursue in the future."
The HIRED! program is accepting teens for the fall term, which starts Sept. 10. During the fall term, teens will work three hours a day, five days a week. On Aug. 16 teens will be able to earn five prerequisite credits by attending the "Preparing Teens for the Workplace" workshop held at the Child,Youth and School Services Bldg. 2522, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. To register or to find out how to become a mentor, contact McKinney at jay.a.mckinney.naf@mail.mil, or call 410-278-3250.
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