Name: Kay Hirai, CEO
Company: Studio 904
"I
love to work with youth--they're so refreshing. It's so
neat to watch them blossom."Kay Hirai's eyes light up when
she talks about the youth she's trained in her salon, Studio
904. But, as she knows well, it takes more than enthusiasm
to make a star employee.... It takes kindness, firmness and
encouragement.
With a nationally recognized training system designed by Hirai, Studio 904 is on the cutting edge of ongoing employee education. It's also a successful, award-winning business founded on helping the underemployed--including youth--move up the career ladder. When she trains youth, Hirai tells them the why: "If you learn a trade, you'll always be able to make money." And then she shows them the how. Only part of it is has to do with cutting hair and painting nails.
The rest is
customer service--and something more."When youth succeed
in the workplace, that's when their self-esteem goes
up--because it's tied to money," Hirai
says. "There's something about money!" "Self-esteem
from the inside out" is
the philosophy Hirai uses to train all her employees.
Her training system, the Book of Kaizen (a Japanese
word for lifelong learning), is made up of step-by-step
modules that lead clearly to higher skill levels. This
structure is especially well-suited to youth, who need
clear expectations and standards backed up by "immediate
feedback," Hirai
says. "The key is to keep them engaged, recognize them
for the good things they do and let them know when
they need to improve," she adds. "They need good role
models around them."
Name: Terry Pickering, Vice President and Market
Manager
Company: Viking Bank
I
know first hand how youth employment can positively affect
a young person's development and their future. This year
I worked with WDC staff to develop an internship at Viking
Bank for disadvantaged young people in WDC-funded youth programs.
Through this process, we met Tiara. An 18-year-old high-school
dropout and teen mother, Tiara was enrolled at the YWCA for
a GED. Because she lacked work experience, Tiara was referred
to Viking for our internship. She successfully completed
the interview process and began working at our Ballard branch,
balancing the job with school and being a busy mother to
a two-year-old daughter.
Looking back on this experience, Tiara enjoyed working with professional people and being mentored by caring adults at the Viking branch. Through her experience at our bank, Tiara learned about a professional setting and the education required to advance in that setting--and she learned that she has the skills to be successful in the workplace. Since Tiara finished her internship with us, she completed her GED and plans to enter community college studying business and accounting. (Viking awarded Tiara a $1,200 scholarship to help with her community college expenses.)
Viking's experience with this internship has also been rewarding. During Tiara's time with us, she was a good employee and a hard worker; she gave us productive benefit in a variety of different work assignments. Staff and managers found that they enjoyed coaching and mentoring Tiara and this positively impacted the culture at our branch. The internship also provided us an additional opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to our community by providing real-world experience to a local resident in need. Finally, the internship was good for our long-range business plan. As Tiara continues on her path to successful adulthood, she will someday need a banker. We hope the bank she chooses is the one that gave her this opportunity. It's never too early to start building relationships with loyal customers.
