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ApTask helps develop, hire young professionals

Expert recruiter Eddie Bright Jr. shows the ropes to a new generation on everything from strategy to first impressions. And it can be a model for success without college.

News 12 Staff

Feb 12, 2024, 6:54 AM

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A new program is turning a small group from some of the state's toughest areas into young professionals while peeling back the curtain on Generation Z.

With ApTask, expert recruiter Eddie Bright Jr. shows the ropes to a new generation on everything from strategy to first impressions. And it can be a model for success without college.

ApTask helps hire for juggernauts like Bank of America. Only 10 people from Newark West Side High School were picked for the paid internship — none of them enrolled in college.

"We've worked on everything from how to introduce yourself to body language to how to sit up straight," Bright said.

Bright is a baby boomer who's spent years impacting New Jersey's youth. His basketball program produced NBA stars like Karl-Anthony Towns.

"I started looking at trade schools because typically trade schools are much cheaper but then it was like ‘I don't want to do anything with trade schools.’ So, then I was like ‘how do I make money without having to work a 9-5, not having to work at McDonalds?’” said Al-Jalill Harris, of Newark.

Harris says other Generation Z’ers have wrestled with that.

The company is hoping to expand. ApTask says it's looking for sponsors to grow at West Side and other schools.

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