"I'd like to be able to wear the suits too!" Earn & Learn Program takes young people to Chase Tower downtown

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Chase Tower in downtown Milwaukee had some young guests roaming its halls on Thursday, August 7th -- all in the name of getting some hands-on, real-world experience.

About a dozen young adults were there as part of the city of Milwaukee’s Earn & Learn Program -- which provides employment opportunities to Milwaukee’s youth.

“Kids in my neighborhood, you don't get a lot of opportunities to do this type of stuff and to have a job and something to spend your time doing other than watching TV or stuff like that,” 15-year-old Ayanna Ellzey, who is taking part in the Earn & Learn Program said.

Thursday gave them the chance to hear from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and JP Morgan Chase employees, and see that is possible to someday get where they are.

"We want you to know what it's like to show up on time, how to interact with the public, interact with fellow workers. All that stuff is stuff every one of us adults has to do," Mayor Barrett said.

“It takes a while to get to where you want to get to. It’s a process, but you have to just work through that process and do it well,” Jim Popp, president of Chase in Wisconsin said.

The group of about a dozen young adults also got a tour of the bank branch, and got to hear about the multitude of career possibilities the company offers.

“For these kids, having their first job is an opportunity to really start that process of understanding who they are and who they want to be what kind of possibilities are out there in the world. At Chase they'll see a company that has 280,000 employees all around the world. They’ll see we're more than just a bank,” Popp said.

15-year-old Ellzey admits there is a lot of pressure to succeed -- but it's not always the good kind of pressure.

"We're supposed to learn a certain amount of things, and supposed to do this and supposed to do that, and then, you know, you work that job for 20 years and you retire and then you die. It's just a lot of pressure on kids," Ellzey said.

So to hear some positive encouragement, and get a glimpse of what she could someday become has renewed her ambition to succeed.

"I'd like to be able to wear the suits too," Ellzey said.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Earn and Learn Program -- including information on the Work Experience Program, the Internship Program and how you can get real-world work experience. Also available -- information for students and parents on preparing for the work force.