The Business Council of Westchester is looking to place more than 200 young people into jobs this summer.
The Business Council launched its 2013 Private Sector Summer Job Initiative Feb. 21 at the Tarrytown House Estate and Conference Center, asking businesses to hire at least one person aged 18 to 24 for six to eight weeks.
Now in its fourth year, the program has placed 370 people in more than 55 businesses since 2010. This year, the goal is to place 200 people in jobs, with the businesses paying the salaries. The Business Council hopes that increased promotion of the initiative will lead to more job placements.
Companies that have participated include Candela Systems Corp., Collins Brothers Moving Corp., Eco-Bags Products Inc., Bilinguals Inc., BestWeb Corp. and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
County Executive Robert P. Astorino praised the program, recounting his time as a youth umpiring baseball games.
“I learned a lot,” Astorino said. “It was a wonderful experience. Our young people want to work. I wish the county was able to subsidize summer employment, but we”™re not able to do it.”
Last year, more than 160 people were placed, earning more than $300,000 in total. Five workers ended up with permanent jobs.
Astorino pointed out that hiring young people can help with a company”™s social media presence.
“Often they know more about social media than the people running the business,” Astorino said. “These jobs are a critical economic resource. They could help pay for college or put food on the table. This is invaluable exposure. It”™s a win for the business and a win for the employees.”
Lourdes Harkins, a human resources director at Tarrytown House Estate and Conference Center, said there”™s a lot of value in hiring people for summer jobs.
“You are making a commitment to the future,” she said.
Harkins, along with other speakers at the initiative launch, said that youths learn how to interact in business settings, what to say, how to dress and the importance of completing tasks and arriving to work on time.
Benjamin Baez, a White Plains resident who represented the city as a finalist at the Golden Gloves tournament, an amateur boxing competition, talked about how rewarding it was to find a real job at the Cabana Bar & Grill in Tarrytown, after the White Plains Youth Bureau touched up his resume.
“I learned how to dress after seeing that the top dogs dress very nice,” Baez said. “I learned proper business etiquette. I picked up a lot of experience I could not have picked up elsewhere.”
Baez, whose previous jobs were paid off the books, said working at Cabana Bar & Grill helped him grow as a person.
“I wasn”™t going to go anywhere valet parking cars,” Baez said. “I learned about being trustworthy and dependable.”
Kelsey Belgrave, a 22-year-old White Plains resident, spent the summer interning at MSM DesignZ in Tarrytown, saying it was a valuable experience for her. Previously she interned at Pernod Ricard USA in White Plains.
“It was a really good program,” Belgrave said. “I learned a lot. It has given me a skill set and helped open doors for me. You learn responsibility and how to complete tasks. You”™re given that experience. More people should get involved.”
Wiley Harrison, who runs Business of Your Business L.L.C. and is a member of the Workforce Investment Board, an organization that directs funding to workforce development programs, said when he got his first paycheck as a youth, he went out and bought a pair of Converse sneakers.
“I wanted to make this a habit,” Harrison said. “I like getting paid. I”™m still working today.”
Businesses interested in participating in the summer jobs initiative can contact Ebony White at the Business Council at 948-2110 or list a summer job at westchestersummerjobs.com. Youths can enroll by calling the youth agency in their community.
