The demands were tough, the time frame compressed and the expectations high, but by the end of the summer, the payoff was apparent: Almost 660 youths completed summer work readiness training and were better prepared to focus on  future careers and the education necessary to get them there.
 
Five summer providers - Arbor E&T's Career Works, Easter Seals Work Resource Center, Great Oaks, Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates, and the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati -- targeted disadvantaged youths, eligible through the requirements of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The vast majority of youths in the programs were from low-income families, and included former offenders, those in foster care, or persons with disabilities. 
 
The participants came from a wide swath of Hamilton County neighborhoods that spanned 21 ZIP codes, with 16 percent coming from the Madisonville ZIP code. Substantially more females (69 percent) than males (31 percent) were represented.
 
"The $2 million funding from ARRA allowed us to offer an opportunity to over 600 youths who otherwise might have been unemployed and disengaged in productive activities this summer," said Sherry Kelley Marshall, president and CEO of the Southwest Ohio Region Investment Board (SWORWIB). "The five programs developed work readiness skills that will pay off for these youths, and society, down the road." 

The work readiness skills included interviewing, building a resume and writing a cover letter. Classes stressed the importance of making a good first impression, proper work dress and being on time. Other classes covered financial literacy topics, such as balancing a checkbook.  
All five programs offered training in Microsoft’s E-Learning Digital Literacy Certification. By the end of the summer, 30 percent of all youth had obtained the certificate – including all the participants in the JCG and Great Oaks programs.  

The Urban League focused on the call center customer service industry. Greater Cincinnati has more than 60 call centers, and frequent turnover is an issue for those employers, said Pamela King, Workforce Investment Act summer youth coordinator. At the conclusion of the program, 23 youths had received a National Professional Certification in customer service.  

Job-shadowing at Great Oaks promoted careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields and included an emphasis on emerging green economy jobs. The students received one high school science credit.  

Youths in the Arbor, Easter Seals WRC, and JCG programs worked with almost 60 employers throughout Hamilton County that ranged from the Cincinnati Parks Department, to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to P3 Secure, a private company that specializes in emergency food and water supplies for disaster-hit areas. The sectors of work experience spanned administrative, heath care, education, graphic design, social work, parks and recreation, retail and hospitality.  

More than 100 youth in Arbor’s Career Works worked at Mt. Airy Forest, run by the Cincinnati Parks Department, where they cleared more than 50 acres of honeysuckle, an invasive vine that chokes out native plants.

“The park has never looked better,” said RuthAnn Spears, corporate and volunteer relations manager for Cincinnati parks. 

Dozens of youth were hired after the program concluded. Those employers included Convergys, U.S. Bank, Gorman Heritage Farm, Dawson Heating & Cooling, T.J. Maxx, Mt. Healthy Health Center, State Farm Insurance, and Greyhound.  

“Our community can be proud of the youth who maximized the opportunity provided by the summer youth employment funds under ARRA,” said Marshall, “and worked hard this summer to prove themselves.”

Thanks to Kathleen Williams, public information officer,
Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board, for this article.