3-31-2022 2:03pm

Summer Youth Employment Program Returning to Somerset and Hunterdon Counties

Donnella Tilery Editor

A summer employment program for youth in Hunterdon and Somerset counties needs interested employers to help provide paid work experiences and internships for 60 young people in both counties, as well as candidates to fill those positions.

This marks the third consecutive year that the Greater Raritan Workforce Development Board (GRWDB) is sponsoring a Summer Youth Employment Program with funding from the New Jersey Department of Labor. In 2021, 29 youth worked for 13 different employers. Based on that success, the GRWDB has received a state grant of $135,200 for 40 positions; using American Rescue Plan funding, Somerset County is allocating an additional $62,000 toward the project, enabling a total of 60 youth to get paid work this summer.

The program begins June 6 to Oct. 14. Youth participants must be between the ages of 16 and 24-years of age and can be in school or out of school. Each participant will work 25 hours per week over any eight-week period. Of that weekly total, 21 hours will be spent working for the employers; the other four hours per week will be used on career readiness training with the SkillUp Greater Raritan online learning portal and a separate virtual life-skills educational platform.

For the GRWDB Summer Youth Employment Program, any private or public employer of any size in Hunterdon and Somerset counties with available part-time positions may apply. These can be outdoor employment opportunities or on-site job work that abides by CDC guidelines. Employer applicants can be from any industry; municipalities needing to fill summer recreational positions are welcomed to apply as well as area nonprofits looking for office assistance.

The virtual weekly workforce readiness training will be overseen by the GRWDB staff. The youth participant’s stipend will be $15.00 an hour for 25 hours per week for their eight-week internship/work experience. That means each program participant will earn $3,000.

“We expect to have staggered start times from mid-June through July for our youth participants, who we will match to our employer participants based upon the applications we receive,” said Jeanne Cassano, the GRWDB’s job developer and coordinator for the GRWDB Summer Youth Employment Program. “We want to ensure that our youth participants have a valuable summer work experience that sets them on lifelong career pathways, and that our employer participants get the work assistance they need during the summer months.”

The employer Request for Applications (RFAs) for the program, which includes the internship job description form, can be found on Somerset County’s Purchasing Division website, at https://bit.ly/3Lo5P5p. The deadline for applications is April 22.

As employer applications are coming in, the GRWDB is accepting separate applications from eligible in-school or out-of-school youth who must live in Hunterdon or Somerset counties and be 16 to 24-years old. The program aims to place 60 youth from both counties who will be matched with available positions. To obtain an application, visit the home page www.thegrwdb.org. The deadline to return material is April 22.

“We have reached out directly to employers, schools and everyone else we can think of to share news about this opportunity,” Cassano said. “We realize the applications are detailed, but we are ready to answer your questions and provide whatever assistance we can. We want all youth participants and employers to benefit from this program.”

Anyone with questions can contact Jeanne Cassano at jcassano@co.somerset.nj.us or call 908-541-5785.

The GRWDB oversees federally and state-funded career and employment services for businesses and residents in Hunterdon and Somerset counties. Weekly text alerts highlight career and job opportunities in Somerset and Hunterdon counties. Text “onestop” to 565-12 to sign up.