Purpose
ASPIRA'S Summer Career Exploration Program (SCEP) has been operating since 1983. The program is designed to place high school students in career related positions with the private-sector and non-profit organizations. The program is designed to assist students to make a decision based on a career-related experience that would encourage post secondary education.

Objectives
The ASPIRA Summer Youth Exploration Program is designed to:

• Provide 80 Puerto Rican/Latino high school youth with well-supervised career related work experience in the private sector for a minimum of six weeks
• Ensure each high school youth an interview with his/her potential employer(s), prior to placement;
• Provide counseling to each participant in career opportunities and vocational exploration;
• Provide each participant with on-the-job support to resolve student-employer conflicts which may arise, especially during the initial two (2) week period of the student employment;
• Provide each student with job readiness skills;
• Provide each student with a substantial orientation of at least 5 hours on their roles, responsibilities, rules and regulations of the program, including dealing with harassment;
• Provide each student with supportive counseling services which will assist them in making sound decisions regarding their current and future career aspirations and other conditions that will avert their termination;
• Seek placement for a minimum of 60% high school youth in which employers hire youth for additional hours at employer's expense during the six week program;
• Secure employment for 100-150 area youth who come form low income families and economically disadvantage communities, allowing them to earn money; for a guaranteed minimum of 5 weeks of work experience;
• Ensure placements for at least 25% of high school youth in which employers will hire youth upon completion of the program;
• Provide 8-15 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 (who need financial assistance to return to college in the fall) with orientation and a job experience with ASPIRA in supervision and serving as role models, advocates and counselors of high school students;
• Introduce college students to the overall work of ASPIRA and to the scope and mechanisms of the ASPIRA summer job program;
• Provide college monitors with on the job supervision, assuring a structured work experience;
• Provide college students with a training program of not less than sixteen hours.

Eligibilty Criteria
Project participants will be required to meet at minimum the following eligibility criteria:

• Participants should be able to show evidence of economic need.
• Participants must be enrolled in school and have completed the 10th grade, or be a 2003 graduate.

Program Made Possible By
Philadelphia Youth Network

Program Contact
Nancy Rosado, Talent Search Coordinator
Venita DeLaRosa-Ortiz, Educational Advisor
Christina Leon, Educational Advisor