The Summer Youth Employment Program, sponsored by WorkLink, transformed school this summer by coupling work-readiness classes with work experience and opportunities for credit recovery. Several participants worked in the school systems, performing clerical or custodial duties that readied the school for the upcoming year, while others ventured out to a greenhouse and local farms.

In Oconee County, students at the Hamilton Career Center planted beans, tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, squash, cantaloupe, watermelon, sorghum, and pumpkins. To meet the goal of assembling products, they constructed tomato stakes from wire fence. They planted 6000 pumpkin seeds, then bedded the plants with hay to stave off rot. They prioritized their work each day, often splitting into two teams to accomplish all of the weeding and maintenance.

Kenny Farrar, a student employee assigned as a farm manager evaluated the additional responsibility of working as a team by stating, “I’ve learned how to deal with all of these headaches.” David Johnson, the other farm manager, made a similar remark when he said, “This is tough, but I like it.”

Youth also liked earning a stipend for time in the classroom and work experience. The four- to six-week program was funded through the American Recovery Reinvestment Act and grants from the South Carolina Department of Education. Some locations extended the work experience through September 1.

“This program is just what our students need,” said Stan Glenn, the program coordinator at Hamilton Career Center. “It is one thing to teach job skills and give a grade for effort, but when we are able to pay them for their efforts, the learning environment becomes more authentic, especially when we are addressing job skills.”

The in-school program, managed by the seven school districts in Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties, targeted youth ages 14-18. Palmetto Youth Connections (PYC) managed the out-of-school youth program, which served ages 17-24.