Master of Ceremonies Cleveland Burton, chair of the Hampden County Youth Council, introduced Mayor Daniel M. Knapik with an award for his support of the Summer Jobs Program at the 2015 Kickoff at Shaker Farms Country Club on Friday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – The Regional Employment Board (REB) of Hampden County hosted a kick-off at Shaker Farms Country Club on Friday for its 2015 Summer Jobs Program, connecting youth from Westfield, Springfield, Holyoke and Chicopee to career opportunities.
The goal of the REB is to place 1,000 Hampden County youth in jobs this summer. Of those jobs, 525 are state-subsidized for eligible youth through the YouthWorks summer jobs program. Youth employed through YouthWorks earn $9 per hour, work an average of 125 hours for six weeks, and receive 15 hours of workplace readiness and workplace safety training. Fifty of the YouthWorks slots are earmarked for Westfield.
Mayors Daniel M. Knapik of Westfield and Dominic J. Sarno of Springfield joined State Senator Don Humason and Representative John Velis in offering words of encouragement to the young people who came to the kickoff to learn more about seeking summer jobs.
Master of Ceremonies Cleveland Burton, chair of the Hampden County Youth Council, introduced Knapik with an award for his support of the Summer Jobs Program.
Knapik in turn thanked the legislators in attendance.
“This is a wonderful program that you guys have supported over the years,” Knapik said. “The most important thing we can provide youth in our community is an educational experience. The next best thing is an employment experience.”
Velis spoke about his first summer job at Pizza Town in Westfield.
“The first thing my employer said to me was, ‘if you’re late, I will fire you.’”, Velis said. He said that was one of many important lessons he learned on that job.
“You will be shocked that so many people you will meet will become resources for the rest of your life,” he said.
Kat Okhrimenko, 22, a graduate of Westfield Vocational High School in business technology, spoke about her employment experience with the YouthWorks program at Westfield City Hall, where she sold stickers for the transfer station.
She said her goal on the job was to make people smile. She also helped translate for Russian speakers.
“I loved this experience because it gave me something to do for the summer and helped me to find myself,” she said. “It made me more confident.”
Okhrimenko is currently an intern with Aero Fastener in Westfield.
Employers Nancy Kotowitz of Shaker Farms Country Club and Laura Smigel of Noble Hospital also spoke of the benefits of employing young people during the summer.
Kotowitz noted that for her seasonal business, summer help was needed.
“We really love having the kids. They’re great,” she said. Smigel called hiring youth a “win-win” for Noble Hospital and the REB program.
“We’re proud to say that we’ve had two kids in the last two years that we’ve been able to hire at Noble,” Smigel said.
Cleveland Burton said there are three ways that everyone can help a young person find employment this summer: hire a youth, donate money, or become a worksite.
He said a donation of $150 would help to pay wages for one week for a youth working in a community betterment project in parks, camps, or non-profit agencies.
Employers who are interested in learning more about the project should contact Kathryn Kirby, Manager of Youth Employment and Workforce Programs at the Regional Employment Board of Hampshire County (www.rebhc.org).
