West Newton youth center to pilot workforce program for 6 interns
The plan is to repurpose an abandoned truck the Waypoint nonprofit acquired when it purchased a former lumber mill on Mallard Street, where the youth center relocated last fall.
By JEFF HIMLER
TribLive
Six interns will get experience introducing and operating a new food truck business as part of a yearlong workforce development program set to begin this fall through the Waypoint Youth and Community Center in West Newton.
The Economic Discoveries and Growth through Experiential Education (EDGEE) program follows upon the Waypoint nonprofit’s successful Outpost seasonal eatery that employs area youths serving hamburgers and other menu items along the Great Allegheny Passage trail in West Newton.
“It’s geared for the interns to get an understanding of how to run a small business,” Waypoint CEO Chris Morse said of the EDGEE program.
Morse is working to have the infrastructure ready for the interns to start serving food truck customers by spring.
The plan is to repurpose an abandoned truck the Waypoint nonprofit acquired when it purchased a former lumber mill on Mallard Street, where the youth center relocated last fall.
Morse expects the food truck will specialize in sweet treats, complementing the meatier fare at the Outpost. But the interns will have a hand in arranging the menu.
“They’ll have to write a business plan and test and market their recipes and see if they work,” Morse said. “We’re excited to see what they come up with.
“We’re equipping them to compete in the marketplace.”
Leading the EDGEE program is Waypoint’s new workforce development coordinator, Christie Frain.
Frain brings more than 20 years of experience as a culinary instructor at Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, where she also was involved with the local chapter of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America.
“It’s a passion of mine to get youth workplace-ready and into careers,” Frain said. “I’m excited to be on board.”
At Central Westmoreland, Frain had students create pop-up restaurants and saw them achieve top placements in state culinary competitions.
“I want to give the kids information, get their creative juices flowing and watch it come to fruition,” she said.
The season, the Outpost has employed 18 young workers and has racked up sales approaching a quarter million dollars. The EDGEE program is expected to begin in October or November, once the Outpost has wrapped up its season.
“This internship will capitalize on our success in doing the food at the Outpost, but we’re not going to limit it to just food,” Morse said.
With a recently obtained 15-passenger van, the interns will be able to take field trips to explore career options at area businesses and industries, including a Pittsburgh robotics lab, Morse said.
The one-year EDGEE pilot program is being funded through a $277,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.
Interns, who must be between the ages of 16 and 24, will be paid $14 per hour for their work. Those who are of high school age likely will participate in EDGEE during afternoons, according to Morse.
“If they’re of college age, they’ll meet with us three days a week,” he said.
Morse said Waypoint is seeking additional funding to convert a remaining portion of the former mill into a commercialscale kitchen to support the food truck program.
The Waypoint center each year serves about 150 at-risk, low-income middle and high school students, offering homework help, tutoring, mentoring, educational enrichment and exposure to job opportunities.
“Waypoint has been a cornerstone in the community for seven years, and this new (EDGEE) addition represents a strategic pivot in our traditional programming,” Morse said.
