VIDALIA &8212; Attendance was low at the first YES! class for out-of-school students, but organizers don&8217;t think it&8217;s going to stay that way.

Two students attended the first Youth Experiencing Success workforce training class Monday night. The program, put on by the Concordia Parish School Board, is funded through a federal grant from the LaSalle Community Action Agency, Inc.

The class targets youth ages 16 to 21 who are not enrolled in school and are from low-income families.

&8220;We had two students show and we started just like we had a room full,&8221; program Coordinator Cheryl Probst said. &8220;They were really interested in what we might be able to help them with.&8221;

The class addresses low basic academic skills, inadequate workplace skills and unsatisfactory life skills.

Students will work with computer software, take field trips and eventually work at a four-week paid job in the community.

The grant is written for a class of 10, a number Probst said is realistic for Concordia Parish.

&8220;We&8217;ve had phone calls of people saying they&8217;ll be here next week,&8221; she said. &8220;And (the two present) said they had friends they were going to encourage to come.&8221;

Organizers are also going to contact some community groups seeking participants.

Dropouts, GED students and graduates lacking needed job skills can all attend.

&8220;We know they are out there,&8221; Probst said. &8220;It&8217;s just getting to them or their parents.&8221;

Anyone interested in joining the class can come to Vidalia Junior High School at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

The first few weeks will be spent doing personal inventories to find out what most interests the students and what areas may be good paths for them.

The students in attendance Monday did an inventory, but Probst said it wouldn&8217;t be hard for new students to catch up next week.

For more information,

call Probst at 318-336-4746 ext. 246.