Haverhill highlights expanded youth workforce program; council accepts committee summary of integrated career-connected learning

The Haverhill City Council heard an update from Allison Hartquist, director of Haverhill Public Partnership (HP3), on an expanded workforce-development program and voted to accept the Planning & Development Committee’s summary of a Jan. 21 meeting that advanced an integrated career-connected learning model.

"It's a mouthful, but it's a pretty cool opportunity for students," Allison Hartquist said, describing the program — called the "Bridal Club" (Building Relationships and Integrating Dynamic Growth Experiences) — which offers a voluntary, 16-week curriculum for students in grades eight through 12. Hartquist said cohorts meet about 90 minutes a week in a conference-room setting at the Boys & Girls Club and focus on career exploration, financial literacy and professional development. "We also provide a LinkedIn profile for the juniors and seniors, and we talk about the importance of networking," she said.

Hartquist described program features that include mock interviews, resume help, free professional headshots, volunteer and internship connections, and partnerships to deliver content at Gateway Academy and the Y. She said she caps cohorts at roughly 15–16 students to keep the setting manageable; partner-site cohorts are expected to be about 10 students.

Separately, Councilor John Mitchison presented a concise summary of a Jan. 21 Planning & Development Committee meeting that focused on drafting partnership principles, objectives and data-sharing approaches to match students with career, training and internship opportunities. Mitchison said he used an AI tool to reduce a 13-page record to a three-page summary and rated the output "70% accuracy," adding that "a human reviewer is absolutely needed." He moved to accept the committee minutes; the council approved the motion.

The committee summary and the discussion identified next steps including (1) drafting partnership principles that emphasize voluntary participation, privacy and efficiency; (2) assigning Diane Connolly to research legal requirements for exchanging student information and online communication constraints; and (3) developing an online hub or portal to post aggregated opportunities, match student needs to offerings, and support partner collaboration. Funding opportunities and grant sources were discussed at a high level but require further exploration at future meetings.

Councilors praised HP3 and the collaborative approach and encouraged continued partner involvement. The accepted summary positions the group to review draft principles and data-sharing rules in a February meeting.