The all-time low unemployment rate has been making headlines in Des Moines. With competent workers scarce and productive employees seeming like treasure, business owners and managers are looking at the next generation with a mixture of hope and apprehension.

"The path of learning is not an easy one, particularly through middle childhood and early adolescence," says Kyndra Wilson, a learning coach with Tero International. "Parents can help their children strive to make a positive impact on their society by giving them tools to express themselves and reach out to others."

Wilson, who teaches communication skills, maintains that a growing service economy demands more "people skills" from its work force. Nonetheless, schools and colleges focus almost entirely on technical skills.

"The value of social or 'soft' skills is clearly apparent to corporate America, (with) the training industry a $62 billion-a-year gig," Wilson says. "Managers echo a common refrain:'Give us someone with social skills, and we'll train them the technical skills later.

"So why do we wait until people have already passed through critical stages of childhood and adolescent development to attend to specialized training?"

This fall, five teenagers attended a pilot training program developed and taught by Wilson for Tero International. The eight-week course, "Outstanding in Life: Life Skills for Young People," began the last week of summer vacation and met every Monday evening. The fact that teens were able to cram the class into their already-busy schedules demonstrates their commitment.

"I'm involved in basketball, volleyball and 4-H, and sometimes the class interfered, says Renee Watkins, an eighth grader at Dallas Center-Grimes. Still, she managed to make every session.

"It didn't seem long. It's not like a class in school that drags on and on; it's fun. You play games, one on one, and don't just listen to them talk."

Wilson and learning coach Rowena Crosbie modified the communication program they normally run for adults, but kept its goal: teaching basic interpersonal skills.

"The kids actually did better than the adults, because in most cases they didn't have to unlearn skills they'd developed on their own" Wilson says. "The kids got it right away, and it was much less stressful for them"

The lessons were practically the same, but with a twist. "On Columbus Day," Watkins says, "they had made the room into a boat. and we were Columbus convincing the queen to give us the ships to make the trip.

"They videotaped us so we could see our presentation. You really had to learn to use your eye skills - looking at each person in the audience to make them feel special, instead of 'spraying' the room with your eyes.

Watkins feels she communicates better with her teachers and parents as a result. She uses eye contact to let them know she's listening, and to indicate that she's serious about what she's saying.

Shelley Lyttle agrees that the program helps teens with listening skills. Her daughter Jenny, a sixth grader, and Jeff, a ninth grader, now acknowledge that they've heard what she's 'saying. Before, she had to repeat herself several times.

"We don't always agree," she says, "but I find that they have heard what I've said."

Both teens say the program has improved their communication skills. "It's helped me be more confident in school," Jeff says. "When I have to give speeches, I know how to present myself.

"I used to say 'um' and 'like' more than I should," Jenny says. "Now, I make eye contact with people when I speak and they take me more seriously."