JOB PROGRAM MEANT TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE

Geneva Johnson says her summer job helping youngsters learn traffic safety rules at Safety Village is preparing her for life.

Johnson is one of 40 young people, ages 14 to 21, employed this summer through the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School's Summer Youth Employment program.

The program is designed to help young people get their first job and to learn some employment skills.

Federal money, provided through the Private Industry Council, pays their salaries and for job training.

"It helps you in life," said Johnson as she filled up the water cooler for the young cyclists. "At first, I didn't know how to answer the phone or anything. This has helped me a lot."

This is Johnson's third summer working with the project. She has also worked at the Cape Girardeau Public Library and at Southeast Missouri State University.

"I like it," Johnson said, adding that she likes being paid also. Students earn $4.25 an hour.

This is the fourth summer for the youth employment program, said Gary Jenkerson, a job coach at the vocational school.

Participants are economically disadvantaged youth. Jenkerson said the students are not "at risk."

"Sometimes people infer that these are `at-risk' students because we coordinate the at-risk program during the school year," Jenkerson said. "We are very selective. Many of these young people are first-rate students."

Terry Irwin, also a job coach, added, "The vocational school's program is small. We always get more applicants then we can serve, so we can be very selective."

The program started this summer with 25 students. At the end of June, the federal government enlarged the program nationwide. The vocational school's program now serves 40 students and employs three job coaches.

Students come from four counties, Cape Girardeau, Scott, Bollinger and Stoddard.

Jenkerson said, "For many students this is an opportunity for a first job."

For others, the program serves as a transition between school and work, said Jenkerson. "For a limited number of older part~icipants, they indeed step from our program to a full-time job."

One day a week, the students are in the classroom with the job coaches.

Irvin said, "We talk about job search skills and career exploration." The students also discuss questions or problems they might be having on the job.

In the classroom, Jenkerson said, "a lot of what we deal with seems like common sense. If your boss says to come to work at 8 a.m., you be at work at 8 a.m. They have to understand that they get paid only for the hours they work and how to get along with their employer and fellow workers."

About 15 employers are participating in the program.

"Employers have no financial responsibility," Jenkerson said. "We ask them for supervision and a meaningful work experience and we ask for some evaluation."

However, the federal government sets guidelines about which employers may participate.

Irwin said, "The first criteria is that the employer must be a non-profit agency."

Many of the schools in the vocational school's service area, Chaffee, Advance and Delta, for example, utilize these summer employees to do maintenance, painting and repairs.

The students are performing a variety of jobs word processing, filing, data entry, and even welding for other agencies and governments.

Larry Hume, water and power plant superintendent for the city of Jackson, said he has participated in the program for several years.

"A few of those people are permanent employees now," Hume said.

This summer he is working with a young man who was trained at the vocational school as a welder. "At the power plant we have all kinds of welding and maintenance work to be done," Hume said.

The work experience also benefits the students, Hume believes. "This gives them a chance to get out into the real world," he said.