There may be fewer help wanted signs this summer, but that does not mean all the part time jobs are gone. In, fact thousands will be made available just for younger workers, ages 14 to 24. The city of Houston will fill several hundred positions.
"We are looking to try to put about 340 students on this year," said Joe Turner with the Houston Parks Department. "We have got quite a few different kinds of jobs. We have some in our green space park that will work as park maintenance aids."
The jobs program is federally funded and it is that money that is giving the city of Houston the ability to make those hires.
"They will be making $2,300," said Linda Clarke with the city of Houston. "They will work 30 to 35 hours a week for 8 to 10 weeks."
Across our area, young people aged 14 to 24 will be able to apply for more than 4,000 part-time jobs, but there is some important financial criteria they must meet before they before they can start working.
To get one of the jobs, a young person living alone cannot earn more than $10,830. If they live in a family of four, family income cannot be more than $22,500 to qualify. The jobs only last for the summer, but are designed to give young workers life-long skills.
"The idea is to try to reach out to outreach youth who might not understand what a good job might be," said Sue Cruver with Workforce Solutions. "It is an entry level job to get experience and they will get training."
The exact jobs are still being looked at, but the city of Houston will use the program to hire people to clean parks and staff city swimming pools.
"It's not just a summer jobs program for these kids," said Clarke. "We will have career fairs, teach them how to write resumes and put them with roll models, so that we spend time not just telling them how to get a job, but how to keep a job."
The jobs are available through Workforce Solutions and they have a special web site set up for those looking for these jobs. Check out the abc13 consumer blog for more.
