WESTSIDE — Summer jobs can mean more than a paycheck for teenagers, but finding a job in the current economy can be a challenge.

The Workforce Development Program for youth places local teens between the ages of 14 and 21 with jobs where they can learn life skills while they earn a paycheck, according to coordinator Carole Shaver. The non-profit program serves economically disadvantaged teenagers and also provides programs to help adults.

The Workforce Development Program uses Workforce Investment Act Funds from the Department of Labor to pay the young people’s wages while local businesses and municipalities provide work sites and mentoring, Shaver said.

This summer, the program is employing three teenagers in Gentry, two in Decatur and one in Gravette. The students work for Jade Collision, Spavinaw Stove Company and the Early Learning Center in Gentry, the city of Decatur and the Gravette Public Library. Employers willing to mentor the teens are crucial to the program, Shaver said.

In the current economy, students can have trouble finding a job because a lot of jobs traditionally held by teenagers are now held by adults who have been displaced from their jobs or are working two jobs to make ends meet, according to Shaver.

The program starts with a “Job Club” held in the first of the year to teach students soft skills such as being to work on time, appropriate dress and teamwork. They also discuss what situations warrant calling in and missing a day of work and which ones don’t, as well as the fact that they will probably start at the bottom, but can work their way up if they prove themselves to be dependable.

“We try to teach them how to work,” Shaver said.

At the worksites, supervisors are considered mentors that help teens learn how to work and in some situations teach them occupational skills.

In Decatur, Tylar Brown and Karissa Skaggs, both 16, have spent the summer braving the heat, doing outdoor physical work.

Skaggs said she doesn’tmind the weather and said she prefers to be outside working rather than sitting home during the summer months. Both Skaggs and Brown agreed they were excited to be making their own money.

Ricky Burke, who works for the Decatur’s Parks and Streets Departments, was supervising the two teens as they cut brush and cleaned streets last week.Burke said he thinks the program is great because kids get to learn the skills they need to work and keep a job. They also help the city employees with all the extra work they have during the summer months.

“Those kids in Decatur work really, really, really hard. They are good kids,” said Shaver

Students make $7.50 anhour and work 200 hours over the summer, giving them an earning potential of nearly $1,500. Teens take pride in being able to afford to buy their own class rings or school clothes and being able to help their parents pay their bills. Some have earned enough to buy a car or make a small down payment on a house, Shaver said.

“They can pull their own weight and they are very proud of that,” she said.

Three-quarters of the students will continue to work part-time throughout the school year. In Decatur, teens are employed to help at the Iva Jane Peek Library.

The goal of the program is to help students graduate from high school orearn their GED. If students drop out of school they are automatically disqualified from the work program, Shaver said.

In some cases, the program can help students continue their education at the Northwest Arkansas Community College or the Northwest Technical Institute if the funding is available.

News, Pages 11 on 07/25/2012