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Skills to Employment Aids Summer Youth Jobs

By April 27, 2009January 16th, 2019No Comments

Kirkwood to receive stimulus funding for worker training, summer employment programs

Kirkwood Community College is receiving Federal stimulus funding for programs that help train unemployed workers and provide summer jobs for eastern Iowa youths.

The money is being made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will go to three programs currently in place at Kirkwood. It provides $371,184 for Kirkwood’s Dislocated Worker program, $67,348 for its Adult program and $381,658 for its Youth Summer Job program.

The Dislocated Worker and Adult programs provide career training and job search counseling for unemployed and underemployed workers. The funding will allow Kirkwood to hire two new full-time staff to help implement these programs and serve more people.

“We’re seeing a lot of people who need to have their skills upgraded,” said Kirkwood Skills to Employment Director Carla Andorf. “Many businesses have closed or downsized and these individuals are in desperate need of some additional training. Through these programs, when the economy turns around businesses start growing again, these newly trained workers will be in a position to once again become a valuable part of Iowa’s workforce.”

The Youth Summer Job Program is designed to find summer employment for individuals ages 14 to 24 at local non-profit and public work sites in the seven counties served by Kirkwood – Linn, Benton, Jones, Iowa, Johnson, Cedar and Washington. Those jobs will pay $8 per hour, can be either full-time or part-time and will run for six to eight weeks this summer.

Kirkwood is currently recruiting work sites in its seven county service area, as well as youths. While the stimulus funding provides the wages, potential employers must agree to provide a quality work experience and supervision.
Kirkwood anticipates enrolling between 125 and 150 youths in its summer work program and training an additional 200 to 250 people through its Adult and Dislocated Worker programs.

Anyone interested should call 319-398-5105 and inquire about the desired program.