Summer Jobs for Youth made a difference in Clackamas County

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

For years, teens struggle to find summer employment experiences. This year, as our nation continued to struggle with the ravages of the recession, employment for teens was at a crisis level. Just one out of three young people who wanted a job could find one this summer – a rate not seen since WWII.

There was good news, however, for 300 youth put to work with federal stimulus dollars. These youth combined earned over $375,000 and worked 37,500 hours. Because of a strong partnership with Clackamas Community College, these young people also had the opportunity to earn college credit – over 1,250 credits were earned toward college degrees at an equivalent tuition value of more than $90,000. Clackamas County American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Investments supported jobs for youth who were put to work on crews throughout Clackamas County, internships at local businesses and organizations and trainings leading to specific careers, known as Career Pathways.

Locally, youth worked in a wide variety of summer youth employment programs managed by the Workforce Investment Council of Clackamas County (WICCO) and administered by numerous local agencies. For example, a group of students led by a fellow student worked on the Clackamas Heights Community Garden located within a public housing development in Oregon City and managed by the Housing Authority of Clackamas County. The City of Oregon City, Clackamas Education Service District and Community Solutions of Clackamas County partnered to make this project a success.

More than a job, these work experiences gave youth the chance to see a range of employment possibilities. Students visited the Pacific Northwest Carpentry Institute, the Rebuilding Center, Oregon Gardens, ACE Academy, Roofers and Waterproofers Training Center, NW Laborers Training Center in Corvallis, HVAC and Metals Institute, NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center and the NW College of Construction.

Other placements included a manufacturing Career Pathways program position exposing 19-year-old Allie Rose Kinnee to the field of welding at Oregon Iron Works. During her program she learned about safety, welding, fabrication and blueprints, working at the plant two days a week while taking classes at CCC the other three days. Allie is on her way to earning a certificate in manufacturing technology and considering an apprenticeship in welding. A Summer Youth Academy internship at the North Clackamas Chamber of Commerce led Ben Barney, a 19-year-old Clackamas Community College sophomore, not only to a paid summer position, but a permanent job with the chamber. In addition to his job this fall, he is continuing studies toward a two-year degree in business management. His supervisor at the chamber noted outstanding summer work convinced them he could handle more responsibilities, and is now assisting the transportation management group helping promote cycling, carpooling and public transportation.

No doubt - we are in the middle of a jobs crisis in our nation, as there are six unemployed workers for every available job. The investment in our youth this summer ensured many young people had an opportunity for work experience that would have been otherwise unavailable.

To learn more about what WICCO is doing in collaboration with business, labor and education to prepare our youth for gainful employment, visit our Web site, www.wicco.org.

Sincerely,

Kim Parker, Executive Director, Workforce Investment Council of Clackamas County

Joanne Truesdell, President, Clackamas Community College