Economic stimulus to put 450 Southside youth to work for summer

Thanks to federal stimulus funding, hundreds of area youth, age 14 to 24, will have summer jobs. And it’s not costing the employers a dime.

Kim Adkins, executive director of the West Piedmont Workforce Investment Board’s Summer Youth Employment Program, said the agency received almost $1.5 million in stimulus funding that will cover the cost to train, manage and pay the salaries of about 250 youth in Danville and Pittsylvania County, and another 200 in the Martinsville, Henry County and Patrick County area.

Participants in the program will make $7.25 an hour, all paid through stimulus funding. The program imposes no cost on the employers — it covers payroll and liability insurance for the participants. Some participants will also be eligible for transportation or gasoline reimbursement and/or money for child care, work attire, work tools and other work-related items, Adkins said.

“This is a very unusual program,” Adkins said. “We don’t typically have the resources to serve so many. Our budget is $1.5 million for the year-round youth program, which includes mentoring, training and other (services) for older youth, age 14 to 21.”

In the Danville/Pittsylvania County area, the program is being administered by Pittsylvania County Community Action, with the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce helping to coordinate training and lining up employers for the youth.

The first 8-week program began in the area this week, with youth receiving 30 hours of training from business and community leaders, according to Laurie Moran, president of the Chamber.

“We’ve had a great week,” Moran said. “The youth were attentive, well-dress and gained a lot of knowledge hearing from business and community leaders.”

Moran said some of the class focused on work force readiness, teaching the youth what expectations employers would have of their workers, communication skills, problem solving skills and decision making skills.

Classes are being held at Averett University, where some of the youth will also find summer jobs landscaping and painting on the campus, Moran said.

Other youth will have jobs in fast food, retail, at city and county Parks and Recreation departments, with non-profit agencies and other businesses.

Moran said the program has two goals — training and putting youth to work for the summer, while stimulating the economy.

“This will put about $400,000 into the local economy, which is what stimulus money is designed for,” Moran said, adding that a secondary benefit is training for the area’s future workforce.

Moran also said the program could be repeated next year.

“If we show success, if it’s a success nationally, we may have a good change of getting funding again next year,” she said.

Moran a second group will begin its training classes next week.