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Summer work program for young people offered in Central Jersey

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Summer work program for young people offered in Central Jersey

Businesses interested in working with young people and youth looking to start on career pathways are being connected through two current programs sponsored by the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board (GRWDB).

The youth application deadline for the GRWDB’s 2024 Summer Youth Work Experience Program is Friday, May 3. Community members are invited to the GRWDB’s free National Youth Apprenticeship Week Career Event on Monday, May 6, at Raritan Valley Community College in the North Branch section of Branchburg.

Summer Youth Work Experience Program

For the 2024 GRWDB Summer Youth Employment Program, youth participants can work any 200-hour period between Monday, May 20, to Monday, Oct. 14. Participants must be between the ages of 16 and 24, be in school or out of school, and live in Hunterdon or Somerset counties. Those accepted into the program will work 180 hours with the employer and complete another 20 hours of online and in-person career-readiness training directed by the GRWDB. The youth participant’s tax-free stipend will be $16 an hour, for a total of $3,200.

Employer applications were due on Tuesday, April 23. More than 30 businesses and government divisions in Hunterdon and Somerset counties applied with a variety of positions. Duties include working in administration, design, construction, senior center activities, public works, library programs, camp counselors and rangers, building and grounds, health supervisor, program specialist, aquatics, shoppers, marketing and social media, recreation, office, roads and bridges, clerical, customer service, fleet maintenance, warehousing, and laborer.

To obtain an application, visit www.thegrwdb.org or www.thegrwdb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/summer-youth-wep-recruitment-packet-2024.pdf.

The deadline to return material is Friday, May 3. Contact SYWEP Coordinator Jeanne Cassano at jcassano@co.somerset.nj.us or call 908-541-5785.

GRWDB staff will work to match the youth applicants with the available positions. Employers and youth will talk prior to the matches being finalized, and either party can decline the match. Program participants will start on a rolling basis from the end of May to the end of June. This is the fifth consecutive year the GRWDB has offered a summer youth program, with funding for 80 positions from the NJ Department of Labor, and additional funding from Somerset County.

Youth Apprenticeship Event at RVCC

The GRWDB’s first-ever YAW Career Event will introduce youth and young seekers to apprenticeship, career and jobs information from regional businesses and agencies.

The event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 6, at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) at 118 Lamington Road in the North Branch section of Branchburg. The event is being conducted in coordination with the first Youth Apprenticeship Week (YAW), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor,

The YAW Career Event will include a light meal for visiting attendees, donated by ShopRite of Hunterdon County. There also will be a program presentation from 6 to 6:30 p.m., featuring young workers sharing their apprenticeship experiences and explaining how the program has transformed their lives.

In attendance will be the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship, offering information to businesses and job seekers about the value of the apprenticeship career pathway model. Local businesses and agencies sharing information include: ADC/BAC of NJ Local #5, Adult Day Center of Somerset County, American Pool, Center for Educational Advancement (CEA), County College of Morris, Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, Girl Scouts Heart of NJ, Greater Somerset County YMCA, Hunterdon County Vocational School, Magna-Power Electronics, Middle Earth, New Jersey American Water, N.J. Department of Corrections, N.J. High Education Student Assistance Authority, Raritan Learning Cooperative, Raritan Valley Community College, Right at Home, Rowan University, Schaible`s Plumbing, Senior Helpers, ShopRite of Hunterdon County, Somerset County, Somerset County Vocational and Technical School, Sun Run, U.S. Postal Service, and Visions and Pathways.

The event is open to high school and middle school students, college students, recent graduates, job seekers in transition, parents, guidance counselors and all community members. Walk-ins are welcome, but community members have the option to register by going to https://bit.ly/443v9Zf.

Youth Apprenticeship Week is a nationwide celebration that highlights the benefits and value of registered apprenticeship program opportunities for youth, ages 16 to 24. Employers, educators, labor unions, state and federal agencies, and workforce professionals across the country are launching apprenticeship programs that allow young workers to earn competitive wages while obtaining relevant training and experience to start their careers.

The GRWDB oversees federally and state-funded career and employment services for businesses and residents in Hunterdon and Somerset counties. Programs and initiatives are guided by a board of private business representatives, labor unions, community-based organizations, educational entities, and other partners who set larger policy initiatives based on metric-based, state-developed data, as well as direct customer and employer feedback.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

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