What is Give Me TEN? A Simple Idea That Changes Lives

Some of the best ideas are the simplest.

Give Me TEN was created to answer one important question:

How can we make it easier for employers to help students discover meaningful careers?

For many businesses, the idea of hosting students can seem overwhelming. Questions about time, paperwork, supervision, and long-term commitments often prevent employers from getting involved. Yet many of those same employers are struggling to find skilled workers. There had to be a better way. That's why Give Me TEN was created.

The concept is simple: ask an employer to donate just 10 hours to help a student explore a career in a real workplace.

Ten hours. That's enough time for a student to observe daily operations, ask questions, develop workplace skills, and participate in meaningful hands-on experiences. More importantly, it's enough time for both the student and the employer to determine whether there's a good career fit. If the answer is yes, the relationship can continue.

The student can move into +50 hours of structured work experience, where they build technical skills, gain confidence, and demonstrate their potential in a real work environment. Employers get to know a future employee before making hiring decisions, and students gain valuable experience that helps prepare them for employment after graduation. Everyone benefits. Students discover careers they may never have considered. Employers begin developing their future workforce. Schools strengthen career pathways. Workforce agencies can connect students and employers to additional resources and funding opportunities. Communities benefit from stronger partnerships and a growing pipeline of skilled talent.

Give Me TEN isn't just another program—it's a way of bringing education, business, and workforce development together around a shared goal: preparing young people for successful careers while helping employers solve real workforce challenges.

At the GMT Vocational Foundation, we believe career exploration should never be complicated. When we remove barriers and make it easy for businesses to participate, more employers say "yes," more students gain opportunities, and stronger communities are built.

Sometimes changing a life doesn't require a huge commitment.

Sometimes it starts with just ten hours.

Will You Give Ten?

If you're an employer, we invite you to open your doors and invest just ten hours in a student's future. One employer. Ten hours. One student. A lifetime of possibilities. Together, we can build the workforce of tomorrow—starting today.