Successful Wegmans Work Scholarship Program continues to evolve

Listen to this article

Wegmans Food Markets has never adhered to the status quo, whether it was with store design, creating an employee-first culture or procuring locally sourced organic produce.

So, while the Wegmans Work Scholarship Program has impacted thousands of high school students since its launch in 1987, the Gates-based grocer continues to implement new initiatives to help students to thrive.

This school year, 428 students participated in the program, primarily working front-end jobs at 17 Rochester-area stores. But six were part of an externship program through East High School’s culinary cohort, applying the skills they learned in the classroom in a practical setting in the restaurant foods and perishable food sections at Wegmans stores.

“We’re Wegmans, we’re food people and we value our restaurant foods area,” said Christina Griffin, community engagement manager for the grocer. “The program really allows them to take what they’re learning in school in their program and apply it to the workforce.”

The culinary program ended on June 14, and all six participants will continue in food-service roles with Wegmans. Two were hired full-time to work in the sushi department, one became a culinary intern and the other three are staying on in part-time positions.

That recipe for employment success is hardly unusual. More than 500 current Wegmans employees participated in the Work Scholarship Program over the 39 years it has been in operation.

That includes Heegan Saleh, front end department manager at the East Avenue store. He began working at Wegmans when he was 15, used the scholarship program to become the first member of his family to attend college and advanced to a management role with the grocer.

“While in college, I spent my time working as well, so I was fortunate enough to have to juggle the financial responsibilities of working while in college,” Saleh said. “I say fortunate because it really taught me so much resilience, having to negotiate a higher workload. Wegmans was there to help me succeed and allow me that work/life flexibility to manage both.”

Now he’s trying to do the same for current participants in the program. Saleh oversees 38 student employees from the Work Scholarship Program at the East Avenue store.

“His job is to not only mentor those students but manage those students and make sure we are creating accessible opportunities to those students,” Griffin said. “Maybe those are cross-training opportunities, where students get to learn a different department. Maybe it’s an internship opportunity.

“That’s almost 40 students to manage but if you have a big heart like Heegan and you’ve been through it yourself, I’m sure it’s pretty easy for him.”

Said Saleh: “It’s lending a hand, and that’s truly the culture at Wegmans, making a difference through care and trying to empower folks to live up to their highest potential.”

The Work Scholarship Program isn’t just about giving students a job and helping them save a little money while they’re in high school. The main premise is to ensure students thrive in the classroom and are prepared for what’s ahead after graduation.

Saleh serves as one of the many in-store mentors for the students.

“I try to hear them out, almost like a nametag-off, to give them that big-brother conversation,” he said. “What’s challenging you? Why are you feeling the way you’re feeling? How’s your workload looking? And then we flex. We have them shift gears a little bit.

“If they’re not enjoying their role but we know that they’re doing well in the space that they’ve been in, we try to expose them to a little bit more to encourage them.”

The goal, after all, is to provide employment opportunities as they navigate school. The Wegmans family created the program in hopes of boosting graduation rates in the Rochester City School District.

“The Wegmans family wanted to play a role in supporting the Rochester City School District so they leveraged jobs at Wegmans as an incentive,” Griffin said. “If we create this partnership and allow students to work for us and still hold them accountable to their grades, would that help?”

The answer has been a resounding yes. Between 98 and 100 percent of participants in the program earn their high school diploma, Griffin said.

“That tells a student if you onboard with us, we’re going to make sure you graduate, we’ll make sure you get across the finish line,” she said.

The current program has expanded beyond just the RCSD. Wegmans also partners with Rochester charter schools, Hillside Work Scholarship Program and EnCompass, an employment training academy. The partnership with Hillside also allows students in the Gates Chili School District to participate.

“We’re really extending our arms in terms of demographics,” Griffin said. “We want to touch as many students as we can.”

Principals, counselors and administrators help identify candidates for the program. Griffin then conducts preliminary interviews, providing real-time feedback to prepare the prospective employees for real interviews at the store.

“That’s different from our traditional hiring process, which is why this program is special,” Griffin said. “Typically, someone would interview and they have no idea how they did. We’re allowed to give feedback in this process and it sets them up for that second step, which is an interview at the store with the department manager.”

Once hired — as early as age 15 — the students are likely to stay with Wegmans through graduation, and perhaps beyond. They are eligible for a $1,000-per-semester scholarship while in college (up to $8,000 over four years).

“We start hiring at 15 and we love that because then we get to keep students for a few years through graduation, and it’s really special to be a part of that,” Griffin said.

“And we’re really proud of our retention. We’re close to 83 percent with our students each year. Our students like working for us and that’s all because of our values. We’re building camaraderie and following our values of caring and respect. Empowerment is so important for our students. They want to learn, they want to try new things, so it’s right in line with what we already do.”

Wegmans understands that students are interested in sports, music or other activities related to school, so accommodations in schedules are made. There isn’t an hours-worked requirement.

“We hire a lot of student athletes, and we encourage students to be in extracurricular programs, so meeting a certain hours requirement can be a challenge,” Griffin said.

The goal is for 400 students to take part in the program every year, and because there program participants filling jobs at 17 Rochester-area stores, Wegmans wants to ensure transportation isn’t an issue. The company partners with First Student to provide free weekend transportation to work to stores throughout the county, including Brockport, Penfield, Perinton and Pittsford.

“Transportation is always going to be a barrier for many in the working population,” Griffin said. “Our students get to experience something beyond their neighborhood, which we know that will really help them grow as we continue to open up their lens to this world.

“That is unique from any other employer in regard to their minors. Our mission is to continually break down barriers, and transportation deters and prevents some people from getting employment. I’m happy to say we shuttle a good percentage of our students on weekends.”

[email protected]/(585) 653-4020