WIA Summer Jobs

Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. (WCAC) was selected as the lead vendor to operate the competitively bid American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and U.S. Department of Labor funded Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Summer Youth Employment Services program on behalf of the Central Mass Regional Employment Board.

WCAC was responsible for recruiting and placing 500 WIA-eligible youth, ages 16-24 years, in meaningful summer employment opportunities for seven weeks: 300 in Worcester County, 100 in Blackstone Valley, 100 in South County.

A special thank you to Center of Hope, Southbridge, MA and Blackstone Valley Education Foundation, Whitinsville, MA that served as host sites for the program in the Blackstone and South County Corridors.

Over 1,000 youth and young adults applied to the WIA Summer Jobs program. Federal eligibility guidelines required several documents to verify program eligibility: date of birth, citizenship, Selective Service registration, income for the, family size, and verifiable-life barrier to secure employment. Priority job placements were given to eligible and funder-approved youth based on the following criteria:

• Veteran
• Homeless
• Pregnant or teen parent
• Foster Youth or in State Custody
• Youth referred by a community organization or neighborhood agency
• Timeliness in receiving approved file from funder

Unfortunately, not all youth who met this criterion were placed in an employment opportunity.

RESULTS:

On July 6th, WCAC placed 519 WIA-eligible youth and young adults in meaningful employment opportunities: 346 in Worcester County, 71 in Blackstone Valley, 102 in South County. Participants were placed in a wide variety of job opportunities which included: child care, landscaping, recreation aide, warehousing, building maintenance, retail sales, information technology assistance, clerical/office work, urban agriculture, food/kitchen aid, camp counselor, and health care support.

Thank you to area businesses, nonprofit agencies, towns, schools, and individuals that provided invaluable opportunities and tremendous work experiences to hundreds of youth and young adults. Thank you for partnering with us and the summer jobs program!