Stimulus Cash Goes to Youth Employment

The Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council, its partners, and local area employers will create more than 700 summer jobs for low-income 14-24 year olds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
The goal of the program is to provide youth who have limited work experience an opportunity to develop general workplace skills, learn job specific skills, and earn a paycheck. SWWDC received $2.2 million in federal stimulus funds to implement the program in Clark, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum counties in Washington this summer.
The program offers youth 180 hours of paid work experience over a six week period this summer in a variety of jobs ranging from administrative, landscape, trail and building maintenance, light construction, retail, food service, food processing, digital design, video development, events management, marketing, website development and maintenance, teaching assistant, child care, news production, reading coach, library assistant, CAD design, and recreation leader.
SWWDC will partner with seven organizations, which will be responsible for recruiting youth and worksites and managing the program.
employers have already agreed to provide worksites.
Youth who want to apply for the program can visit www.jobeligibility.com to determine whether they qualify and to identify whom to contact.
Organizations interested in serving as worksites should contact Hahli Clark at hclark@swwdc.org or 360-567-1061.
For more information about the Summer Youth Employment Program, visit www.swwdc.org/summeryouth.