Trenton launches summer jobs program for 100 youth

Employers can either hire one or more youth and pay their wages or sponsor them for $2,000 each

TRENTON -- One of former Mayor Douglas Palmer's first jobs was as a messenger for the Trenton Trust Company -- an experience he says opened doors and allowed him to meet new people. Now he wants others to have the same opportunity.

Palmer, Mayor Eric Jackson and Robert Prunetti, president of the MIDJersey Chamber of Commerce, joined forces Thursday to launch the mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program with a goal of providing summer jobs to at least 100 city youngsters.

The trio called on employers in the public, private and nonprofit sectors to either hire or sponsor young people.

The program is open to those 16 to 21 years old. They will work up to 30 hours a week for six to seven weeks.

"It's important to help give young people, no matter where they're from, an opportunity to see what it's like to be in the world of work," said Prunetti, who is co-chairing the initiative with Palmer. "But in the City of Trenton, it's even more important because those opportunities are less."

PLUS: A look at Mercer's average home sale prices

The idea was first conceived last year by the mayor's workforce advisory board, but it took months to flesh out and create a program that would do more than simply give kids a job.

"It was more than just saying, 'OK, you can make a couple of bucks and it'll keep you off the streets during the summertime,'" Prunetti said. "It's an opportunity to be exposed to the world of work, to be a responsible employee and to recognize opportunities for careers in the future."

Participants will be required to attend a free, two-day job readiness training that was developed by professors and students at Rider University. The topics covered will range from how to conduct themselves at work to what to wear, how to deal with conflict and resume-building, among other things.

Prunetti and Palmer said they hope the program will serve as an important stepping stone toward employment, giving young people practical work experience, showing them new possibilities and allowing them to build relationships that go beyond the summer.

"It's important that the private sector gets to know these great Trenton kids in a real way," Palmer said.

Employers can help in one of two ways: hire one or more youth and pay their wages or sponsor them for $2,000 each.

The donations will be set aside in an account by the chamber's foundation and doled out to nonprofit organizations who otherwise might not have the money to hire anyone.

Jackson said he wants the program to help youth build competence, confidence, connections, character and compassion.

"We want to create a program that ... goes beyond sending our youth into an employment scenario with the city or anyone else that simply says for five or seven hours a day, you'll go sit at a desk and maybe do widgets or read a book," he said. "We want a meaningful experience that covers those 5 C's."

The program's other partners include the Millhill Child and Family Development and Trenton Area Stakeholders.

Interested youth must register for the training sessions by April 16. They will take place on April 23 and 30 at Rider.