Gen Z aren’t ready for the workplace—and this youth job program CEO is giving them a crash course in emails and workplace etiquette to change that

Gen Zers are eager to land their first internships and full-time jobs, but getting a foot in the door has become increasingly difficult for many. Employers say the youngest class of corporate workers aren’t equipped to thrive in today’s workplace—so one youth employment program is trying to bridge the gap before they even graduate high school.

National nonprofit Genesys Works has been helping underserved high schoolers land their first work opportunities since 2002. The organization prepares students for professional careers with skills training, long-term coaching, and paid corporate internships to get their feet wet. But before they step into roles at one of Genesys’ hundreds of partner companies including Accenture, JPMorgan, and Mayo Clinic, the next generation of workers undergoes an eight-week summer program, learning skills like communication, critical thinking, digital literacy, Excel, and office etiquette.

The crash course not only sets up Genesys Works participants with greater confidence to enter the workforce, their training also sets them apart from the rest. While managers complain of Gen Z workers lacking interpersonal, professional, and technical skills, these budding professionals are prepared to step into a work life they may have never been exposed to.

“I don’t believe [it] when employers say that they can’t find the talent. The challenge is they do want someone who’s ready to go to work,” Byron V. Garrett, the CEO of Genesys Works, tells Fortune, adding that “Oftentimes our young professionals don’t come from backgrounds where folks call [their] mom or aunt and say, ‘Hey, I ran into this problem at work. What........

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