Stimulus funds target summer jobs

The job market for some youths and young adults will heat up this summer with the arrival of federal stimulus funds.

Employment professionals throughout the Chicago area are scrambling to connect job-seekers with available positions at a variety of local government and not-for-profit agencies.

Procedures are being created as work force offices representing area counties look to spend their share of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money by June 2011.

Recruiting in Lake County began Monday. Applicants in programs throughout the area must meet low-income criteria.

"We are spreading the word on a larger scale," said Jennifer Everett, youth department manager for the Lake County Workforce Department. "This is just absolutely, completely new."

The federal program applies to workers aged 14 to 24. Because Lake County operates an annual program for the younger summer workers, it will target its $2 million funding to those 18 and older.

Each of Illinois 26 work force areas, which cover all counties in the state, will receive stimulus funds for summer jobs. Lake County and its equivalent agencies in other areas will recruit, screen and pay the workers.

"We need work sites to agree to take the youths. We just pay," Everett said. She expected the program to serve about 350 people this summer.

DuPage County will receive about $1.5 million.

"We've been sending out requests for proposals for people to do work sites," said Sue Sycks, youth program coordinator at workNet DuPage. "We're going through all social service agencies, all public aide offices and all schools ... anywhere we can think of."

She said the county used to operate summer jobs programs, but federal funding changed and that specific target age group was dropped.

"It's been at least 10 years since they did summer youth," job programs, Sycks added. Because of the income guidelines, it may be difficult to find enough youths to fill the positions, she added.

Areas in north and northwest Cook County outside of Chicago are under the jurisdiction of the Workforce Board of Northern Cook County.

"We are issuing a request for proposals which outlines the application process for the funds," said Jennifer Stasch, executive director. "We're looking at a start time no sooner than May 1. The applications are due in the middle of April."

Her agency will receive about $2.1 million.

"We're targeting 300 youths for this summer program, and we haven't had this level in 10 years," she said.