Courtney Lewis (pictured above) enjoys the opportunity to earn a little spending cash and learn more about the retail industry working as a sales clerk for Anchor Blue with the Summer Work Experience Program (SWEP).LOCAL BUSINESSES in Riverside County have the opportunity this summer to employ young people at very little cost to the business while also helping these young people obtain practical job experience.
The Summer Work Experience Program (SWEP) helps find jobs for young men and women ages 16-24. New and eager employees work as many as 240 hours and have their wages paid through the program, which is designed to help young people get a taste of the working world.
“It’s really expanded the work experience opportunities for the young people,” said Loren Sims, Operations Manager for the Workforce Division of the Economic Development Agency. “There’s definitely a lot of interest out there, both from the young people and the businesses.”
Riverside County operated a $5.7 million program last summer as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program is expected to utilize about $3.7 million of federal stimulus funds this summer and continue through Sept. 30.
Last year’s program served 2,695 young people, while that figure is expected to be about 1,300 this summer. The numbers for summer of 2009 are higher because federal officials wanted much of the recovery dollars to be spent in the first year of the program to maximize the early impact.
Although businesses do not have to pay the employee’s wages, business owners frequently provide a training and mentoring component to the program.
“Past participants have received jobs in the healthcare, clerical, parks or information technology fields. About 10 percent of past participants have eventually been hired permanently by the summer work provider,” Sims said.
“A lot of the people involved in the program use it to help their families,” Sims said. “Some use the earned income to buy school supplies for next year, that kind of thing.”
More information and an online application can be found at www.rivcoyouth.com