A partnership between the Marshall High School and Mainstay Coffee has received a $14,879 LYFT Pathways Innovation award that will provide pre-employment skills to their students to help prepare them for independent employment and career opportunities after high school.

Students in the program will work on developing employment skills through running the business. Skills include teamwork, social skills, money management, budgeting, supply/demand, janitorial tasks, soft skills, and more.

MainStay will work with the Marshall High School Employability Skills and Transition Skills classes to determine what equipment is needed to start a coffee shop at Marshall High School. After equipment is purchased, they will help train staff and students on how to operate the equipment purchased properly and safely. MainStay will provide continued training as necessary. Marshall High School Special Education Teachers will work with students throughout the year in a minimum of two different class periods to help operate the coffee business. Through this business venture a variety of skills will be experienced by students to prepare them to become competitively employed either while in high school or after high school.

Throughout the year MainStay will come into the classroom and work with their students on a monthly basis to provide work readiness skills and training. Some topics that may be discussed include, the importance of soft skills in the workforce, how to get and keep a job, dealing with difficult customers/co-workers, etc.

This project will give students real-life employability skills in a supported work environment. Many students have the skills to be independently employed after graduating from high school. They greatly benefit from supported employment prior to obtaining their first independent job. This project allows essential work skills to be learned and applied through experience which are needed in the real-world, and not just through classroom instruction and activities.

For more information contact Nicole Jans and Gretchan Stelter at Marshall Public Schools.