The St. Augustine Humane Society has partnered with the WorkStarter program for a second year to offer veterinary technician training positions to 2019 high school graduates in St. Johns County.
Established in 2018, WorkStarter seeks to create meaningful entry-level jobs for graduates who are not currently considering further or higher education, or career training.
To be considered for the vet tech positions, the graduate does not need prior experience. The successful candidate, however, should display compassion for animals, attention to detail, good communication skills and responsible work ethic. The candidate must also be a team player and physically fit to work with dogs and cats.
WorkStarter is designed to match recent graduates with local nonprofits that will employ them for a period of one year. According to Carolyn Smith, St. Augustine Humane Society’s executive director, being a 2018 grant recipient has been very meaningful.
“The positions will afford each trainee the opportunity to define a clear career path for continued growth and learning,” Smith said. “The employment outlook for vet techs is excellent. Both of our first-year WorkStarter employees, Justina Bradley and Megan Burnett, learned valuable skills during their training as a pet groomer and veterinary technician, respectively. Our recent pet clinic expansion plans will create the opportunity for two new trainee positions, with one specializing in surgical assisting and dental techniques. Each vet tech will receive basic training.”
WorkStarter donates the full cost of the year's employment to the nonprofit organization. The program has a number of opportunities in addition to the Humane Society’s veterinary technician training positions available at www.WorkStarter.org.
For more information on the vet tech training positions, contact Carolyn Smith at (904) 829-2737 or email info@staughumane.org. You can also visit www.staugustinehumanesociety.org.
