Worcester's "YouthWorks Summer Jobs Program" was established in May of 2005, with a $167,000 grant from the state's Commonwealth Corporation – directed to the City, and developed through Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. to create summer jobs for low-income, inner city youth between the ages of 14 and 21. With a grant- required 20% match developed from private funding, 102 paid summer jobs were created at 18 separate work sites.
Since 2005, WCAC's YouthWorks program has grown to provide 489 youth with summer jobs in 2010 in partnership with 42 local organizations and businesses. 81 of these youth participated in MCAS tutoring through a significant partnership with the Worcester Public Schools. Each summer, youth are provided with 4 hours of pre-employment training, 6-7 weeks of meaningful paid work experience, and daily supervision and support.
WCAC is responsible for all phases of the YouthWorks program; job development and placement, recruitment and eligibility, pre-employment training, site monitoring and safety adherence, distribution of a weekly payroll, and constant communication with all interested parties. WCAC works closely with all State and Local Representatives to secure additional youth employment funds, as well as with many of our public and private sector employers to increase job availability for our youth. |
