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Stimulus dollars help employ youth
Published 12:00 p.m., August 5, 2009
Nearly 100 local young adults are finding themselves employed this summer after $2.5 million in stimulus funds were awarded to Rural Minnesota CEP’s Summer Youth Program.
In the 19 counties Rural Minnesota CEP serves, 1,007 young people have been hired to work for a number of organizations, government services and businesses. Throughout Fergus Falls, 70 people between the ages of 14 and 24 have been placed in positions ranging from maintenance to laboratory work. In the Underwood and Battle Lake communities, 25 young people are working summer jobs through the program.
Designed to provide youth with experience needed in today’s workforce, the program has also come to the rescue of local employers, many of which have found themselves having to cut back on staff.
“It’s helping out the local economy. That was the biggest push — trying to get kids out there working, helping businesses,” said Chad Nelson, Youth Services Coordinator for the Minnesota Workforce Center in Fergus Falls.
Some kids are working with the City of Fergus Falls’ Street Department, which this year was not able to hire back as many young workers due to reduced local government aid.
For many youth, this is their first working experience. For that reason, Nelson said it’s important for young workers to be paired with top notch workers, who are able to show them what it means to be a responsible employee. The summer position allows young workers to get that first experience in the job market, which also may help them out later in life.
“It’s a good workforce reference to use on their resume,” Nelson said. “It’s a start.”
Young people involved in the program typically work 30 to 40 hours a week, depending on the position.
This isn’t the first time the Workforce Center has employed young people to go out and work in the community. Previously, programs offered positions to students between the ages of 14 and 21. The additional funding through DEED has also brought the numbers up to rates they were nine years ago.
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The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post. To post a comment you will need to register. Or, if you're already registered but have not included your true, verifiable identity with your registration, you will need to update your account to include your identity. Effective Dec. 1, 2009, all posts appear with the commenter's true identity, which must be verified by site staff. Those who registered prior to Dec. 1, 2009, should be aware that once you update your information with your true identity, all prior posts under your user name will also indicate your true identity. If you do not wish to link yourself to prior comments, you should register again with a different user name.Posted by Viking1 (anonymous) on August 5, 2009 at 4:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why aren't the ones that are eligible joining the military? Its a good paying job, good pay, excellent benefits, training. Another waste of taxpayers money.
Posted by WOWfactor (anonymous) on August 5, 2009 at 10:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds like an excellent program for youth to be a part of if you ask me. Youth are able to gain work experience and money, while businesses receive some extra help during the low economic times.
Posted by outside_observer (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 7:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Viking: Ages 14 to 21. Military? The majority of the CEP workers are under 18. I can attest to the success of this program. At 40-something now, I was involved in this as a youth. My situation growing up was that of poverty. I began at age 14, working every summer, full time, as well as 10 hours per week during the school year. I have never in my adult life needed or asked for a dime of county or state assistance. I have provided for my family. The mentors I had through CEP employment are still my heroes. Thrilled to see it available.
Posted by Viking1 (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 9:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
red, I'm quite to old to be in the military. Go to the VFW and spout off about the military not being a job. People will alway chose to take a freebie before they will do a thing for their country. I guess that is the liberal way to do things. Why should the taxpayers always be the ones to bite the bullet, oh thats right, its a dependency thing, they want people to be hooked on freebies.
Posted by BloopTriple (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 1:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope those kids enjoy working. They'll get to work until they're 80 to help pay down their share of the national debt.
Enjoy it, kiddies!
Posted by j_stan_jr (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 1:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
as a foreman of a great pair of summer youth participants i can tell you first hand that this is the coolest thing if your young, these kids get to make money and not sit around watching TV all summer. Thank you to Chad, Shawna and the whole crew down at CEP. This program is great i hope my children will get to take advantage of it when get that age!
Posted by Viking1 (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 2:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
All I ask is they get an education, and a job, and pay taxes like productive people do. Just think how good it would be in this country for all of us. Then we would not have to depend on the government for all our means and decisions. I believe that is what our forefathers wanted us to do. Czar's, where in to hell did that idea come from anyway? Oh, Russia, ya sure you betcha!
Posted by Viking1 (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 9:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
red, as long as anyone like you and metsonics are copying and getting all your information from the net, no one will ever be behind. Obama wouldn't amount to a pimple on Reagan's a--, it is not even fair to Obama to compare him with Reagan. Now Rev Wright, or Jesse James, or Al Franken,that would be more of a comparison to Barry. You should lay off the lutefisk, you are ingesting to much mercury!
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