NORRISTOWN >> Forty-two Norristown Area High School students will have the opportunity to explore and prepare for careers and college with the recent launch of Johnson & Johnson’s Bridge to Employment (BTE) program.

In its 25th year, the BTE initiative has more than 80 locations worldwide. The program focuses on three strategies: academic enrichment, career readiness and exploration, and higher education exploration and preparation.

The BTE-Norristown Area program is a partnership between Janssen Biotech Inc. of Malvern, a Johnson & Johnson company; Montgomery County Community College (MCCC); and Norristown Area High School.

This is the third BTE program partnership for MCCC. Prior BTE partnerships included Wissahickon High School and Janssen Biotech Inc. and Phoenixville Area High School, Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Care Companies of Chesterbrook and DePuy Synthes of West Chester.

Students selected for the three-year program will continue their academic studies at Norristown Area High School and participate in monthly visits to Janssen and other Johnson & Johnson companies. During their visits, students will spend time with their Janssen Career Coaches learning about careers in health care, business and manufacturing.

Additionally, students will have the opportunity to earn college credits through MCCC’s dual enrollment program and learn about the expectations for successful college completion. This portion of the program will enable students to successfully transition to college, as they learn time management techniques, organization skills and studying strategies.

In addition to assisting students with identifying careers and higher education opportunities, the BTE program helps students develop soft skills, such as communication skills, organization and diplomacy, that will help them succeed in their careers.

Additional information is available at www.bridge2employment.org.