KROGER AND URBAN LEAGUE OF GREATER CINCINNATI TEAM UP TO OFFER JOB READINESS TRAINING TO 120 LOCAL TEENAGERS
YouthWorks Program Helps Students Improve Job Skills and Self-Esteem; Kroger Has Hired 800 Graduates in Past Four Years

CINCINNATI, OH, September 28, 2001 – The Kroger Co. and the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati are teaming up tomorrow to offer job skills training to 120 local teenagers as part of the YouthWorks program, which has served as a model for other communities.

Under the program, students ages 14-17 learn a wide variety of job readiness skills, such as how to fill out a job application and prepare for an interview, what is expected of them in the workplace, and how to dress appropriately. The training curriculum was developed by the Urban League and is taught by Urban League and Kroger staff.

YouthWorks consists of three half-day classes to be held over the next three Saturday afternoons. The first class will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, September 29, at the Urban League’s office at 3458 Reading Road.

Joseph Pichler, Kroger chairman and chief executive officer, and several Kroger executives will be there to welcome the students.

“The students participating in YouthWorks gain valuable work experience and practical applications for the courses they are studying in school,” said Marsha Watts, vice president of workforce development at the Urban League. “They gain maturity and a new sense of responsibility while being able to explore career interests. It’s very gratifying to shop in a Kroger store and see YouthWorks students working there. I’d like to think we increased their chances for success with this program.”

At the end of the third Saturday class, Kroger managers will interview students for jobs that are available in stores near their homes. Students who are hired will be paid for the hours they spent in the YouthWorks classes.

“YouthWorks provides the students with some of the tools necessary to succeed in the workplace,” said Reuben Shaffer, vice president of administration for Kroger’s Cincinnati/Dayton division. “The turnover rate among graduates of the YouthWorks program is considerably lower than for those teenagers who did not take part. They tend to have a better sense of maturity and responsibility.”

Since the program’s inception four years ago, more than 1,300 students have been trained, and Kroger has hired 800 of the students who completed the program. Approximately 300 students have been trained so far this year, including 165 students who were subsequently hired by Kroger.

The program has been so successful that Kroger may expand it to Hamilton, Middletown and other areas.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kroger is one of the nation’s largest retail grocery chains. At the end of the second quarter, the Company operated 2,392 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 32 states under approximately two dozen banners, including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Food 4 Less, King Soopers, Smith’s, Fry’s and Fry’s Marketplace, Dillon, QFC and City Market. Kroger also operates 788 convenience stores, 420 fine jewelry stores, 143 supermarket fuel centers and 41 food processing plants.

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