Gov. Nixon launches Missouri Summer Jobs Program to prepare young people for future careers

Program to employ more than 4,000 young Missourians with paid internships and work experiences across the state

(News Release) Gov. Jay Nixon joined U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver at a home in the Green Impact Zone in Kansas City today to announce a new youth employment initiative to help prepare more than 4,000 young Missourians for future careers while fighting teen unemployment. The 2010 Missouri Summer Jobs Program will connect youth ages 14-24 with paid internships and work experience at employers across the state.

The program is the second major summer youth employment initiative established by Gov. Nixon in 2010. The Governor’s State Parks Youth Corps, launched earlier this year, is placing approximately 1,300 young Missourians with jobs at state parks and historic sites across the state.

“Despite the clear signs of Missouri’s economic recovery, high unemployment among our youthful Missouri workforce remains a challenge,” Gov. Nixon said. “Through the Missouri Summer Jobs Program and its counterpart, the State Parks Youth Corps Program, we are turning that challenge into an opportunity for our young people. Through these programs, thousands of young Missourians will not only obtain a quality job for the summer, but will also gain invaluable workplace experience to help prepare them for 21st-century careers.”

Under Gov. Nixon’s leadership, the Missouri Department of Economic Development has obtained an expedited grant of $18 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to fund the new program. The program is tailored to meet the needs of young people who face overwhelming challenges, such as homeless and foster children and those with disabilities or economically distressed families.

Wages for each participant in the program will be set by the employer in conjunction with the local workforce investment board. Funding for the Missouri Summer Youth Program is made possible by federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

With the support of participating businesses and the guidance and career counselors from the state’s 14 workforce investment boards, the Missouri Summer Jobs Program builds on the previous success of a similar program. The Governor’s Next-Generation Jobs Team, a summer youth employment program from last year, put more than 7,000 Missouri youth to work with high-tech, cutting-edge employers around the state during the summer of 2009.

Gov. Nixon and Congressman Cleaver today visited a home in the Ivanhoe neighborhood in Kansas City, which is part of the Green Impact Zone. The Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council hired 10 youth workers last summer to repair sidewalks, undertake conservation projects and lead other efforts to enhance the quality of life and conservation practices in the neighborhood. After the summer, the council hired two of the youth on a full-time basis, and those youth have continued to work over the past year.

This year, those two youth will serve as mentors to ten participants in the Missouri Summer Jobs Program and lead similar projects throughout the neighborhood. Today, Gov. Nixon and Congressman Cleaver saw examples of these projects during their visit.