The Lane Workforce Partnership received $1,464,309 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to implement a Summer Jobs and Careers Program for youth. A minimum of 300 low income Lane County youth will be served with these funds through “earn and learn” activities. The program runs May 1 through September 30, 2009.
In February 2009, the Lane Workforce Partnership released a Request for Proposal for youth summer work activities. Eight contractors were selected representing four school districts, two non-profits, and two public entities. The school districts are: McKenzie, Oakridge, Pleasant Hill and South Lane. The non-profit agencies are Looking Glass Riverfront School and Food for Lane County. The public entities are Lane Community College and Lane County Department of Youth Services (DYS).
Qualified youth for this program will be between the ages of 14 and 24, meet the low-income guidelines and have at least one of the following barriers: homeless, runaway, basic skills deficient (at or below 8th grade level in reading or math), disability, young parent or pregnant, high school dropout, offender, youth in foster care, needs assistance to complete programs successfully and any other barrier identified by the local workforce board.
The Lane Workforce Partnership intends to expend the vast majority of Recovery Act resources in the summer of 2009. The summer program includes the following design components:
- A strong emphasis on increasing literacy and work readiness skills through combined classroom training and work activities
- Paid work experience and internships with a focus on skill development in the Lane Workforce Partnership’s targeted industry clusters (health care, computer software, manufacturing, construction trades and green/clean technology)
- Development of worksites with local businesses, focusing on career pathways
- Use of work crews in rural areas engaging youth in community service projects within their home communities.
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