This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, May 28, 2009 - The city of St. Louis and SLATE are teaming up with private employers to offer the Urban Force job program. This is designed for city residents age 14-24 who are looking for employment and possible learning opportunities. This year's session starts June 1 and runs to Sept. 30.
The program was created to provide summer employment for youths who live in the city of St. Louis with the objective of introducing them to career opportunities and the training that goes along with it.
Funded through the federal Workforce Investment Act, the SLATE program trains young adults as well as providing career opportunities beyond high school.
People in the 14-15 age group can sign up for the Learn and Earn program that consists of on-the-job skills training, career exploration, as well as learning ways to improve adademic performance. The goal is that all the skills gained from the program can be applied to the classroom and the job.
The 16-24 age group can go into one of three programs:
The Green Scene project, which is relatively new, focuses on careers in the growing market of renewable energy and other environmentally friendly fields.
The High Growth/High Skills summer job program matches young adults with part-time summer jobs that gives them a chance to increase their overall skills whether they are technical or office related.
The Emerging Industry Internship program is open to high school and college students and basically provides the student with the experience in areas in which they would like to work.
According to the website , "The #1 goal of the summer jobs program is to increase and enhance their work readiness skills." To find out about the programs, call 314-622-3233.
Naheem Houston is a freelance writer.