Jamie Cabang benefited from a youth employment program. Through Health Careers for Youth, Cabang earned her Certified Nursing Assistant certification. She later went on to a career at Virginia Mason. Photo provided by Noel Frame.
The Workforce Development Council (WDC) of Seattle–King County and Sen. Patty Murray announced on May 29 at McKinstry Co. in Seattle that $3 million of federal stimulus money will be used for summer jobs for more than 850 low-income and at-risk youth in King County.
The event was hosted by McKinstry’s CEO Dean Allen, who is an employer for Youth@Work.
The Youth@Work 2009 Summer Youth Employment Program is an opportunity for young adults, ages 16 to 24, to participate with local businesses for a summer internship. The youth receive work experience and businesses gain workers whose wages are subsidized.
This program is part of the $1.2 billion funding from Congress aimed at putting youth to work in the national recovery effort.
Sen. Murray has been a major proponent of youth employment funds during the federal economic stimulus debate.
In the regular Workforce Investment Act, which are funded programs for at-risk youth, 29 percent of the youth in the school program are Asian/Pacific Islander and almost 14 percent of those in the out-of-school (dropout) program are Asian/Pacific Islander.
“Youth@Work 2009 is a great example of recovery money being used to help families, create jobs, and boost our economy,” said Sen. Murray.
“This program not only helps local businesses immediately, but it gives young people the opportunity to earn money while gaining valuable experiences and skills to succeed in the 21st century workplace,” she said. ♦
For more information, visit www.seakingwdc.org or www.youthatwork.info.