The first step on any career journey is the first job—and with teen labor force participation in decades-long decline, that step has never been more important or more difficult. To address this challenge, the BOSS Program is fully integrated with local workforce development systems, connecting students directly to the resources that support real employment outcomes. BOSS equips students with comprehensive career exploration tools, authentic industry exposure, and guided self-assessment that helps crystallize their strengths, aptitudes, and passions.

In addition to working with workforce development agencies to facilitate that critical first job, the BOSS Program centers its projects on the restaurant and retail industries—sectors that account for more than half of all teen employment and provide the largest, most accessible on-ramp for employability education in the United States. These industries are also gateways to entrepreneurship and management, with eight in ten restaurant owners and nine in ten managers beginning in entry-level positions. Because 90 percent of restaurants and 98 percent of retail businesses employ fewer than 50 people, these sectors consist almost entirely of small, locally owned enterprises. Their owners are not distant corporations but neighbors—the very kind of community leaders who form the backbone of the BOSS Network.

To further accelerate students’ entry into these industries, the BOSS Program integrates a suite of industry-recognized certifications, including the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe Food Handler and Allergens, the National Retail Federation’s RISE Up Retail and Customer Service, as well as OSHA-10 and First Aid/CPR/AED training.