One Youth, One Job


From left to right are James Morton, director of the Massachusetts Career Development Institute, Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan, Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan, Western Massachusetts Electric Company President Rod Powell and Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette met on Thursday in Springfield to announce the One Youth One Job program. Reminder Publications photo by G. Michael Dobbs.

Mayors announce summer jobs program

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD The mayors of Springfield, Chicopee and Holyoke are looking for jobs not for themselves, but for hundreds of young people who want to work this summer.

Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan, Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan and Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette met at a press conference at the Western Massachusetts Electric Company's (WMECO) office at the Springfield Technical Community College Technology Park on Thursday to speak about the One Youth One Job program.

Ryan said that, of government initiatives, he "can't think of anything more important than jobs for young people."

James Morton, the executive director of the Massachusetts Career Development Institute, is heading the jobs program. He explained that the $440,000 the program received would create at least 217 jobs for young people in the three cities.

Morton stressed, however, that the number of applicants is far greater that the number of jobs and that if additional jobs are made available in the private sector, the funds can be used to help more young people. Morton said that in Holyoke there are currently 49 jobs for 135 applicants; in Chicopee there are 27 jobs for 80 applicants; and in Springfield there are 136 job for 849 applicants.

The demand for jobs has increased from last year when in Springfield there were 600 applicants for 117 jobs.

Morton said that if an employer has three positions to fill, the program would pay for the salary of one of those positions.

Morton added that these statistics should show that there are many young people who want to work. This is the second year for the program and there were over 70 teens from last year who returned for a second summer of work.

Last year there were 165 teens in the program and 114 of them had perfect attendance record, Morton said.

Besides providing youth with the opportunity to earn a paycheck, Morton said the program gives teens something constructive to do during the summer.

"A busy youth is a safe youth and a safe youth is a safe community," he said.

Private sector companies participating in the program include WMECO, Verizon, Univeral Platics and U.S. Tsubaki Auto.

Rod Powell, the president of WMECO, said "I can't over-emphasize how extremely important it is as an employer to reach out to youth."

Joseph Peters, president of Universal Plastics, said that there are tasks that can only be accomplished in the summer at his company and that hiring teens through the program is "good for us."

Last year, Peters' firm hired two teens and this year he is hiring four. He added that is more difficult today for teens to find work than years ago and he hopes more employers will participate in the program.

The program also has an educational component in which the teens are taught work place skills such as how to write a resume and how to prepare for an interview.

Morton said that employers who are interested in hiring teens through the program should call Janice Watson at 781-5640, ext. 217 for jobs in Springfield; Greg Schwartz at Solutions Community development Corporation at 315-6017 for jobs in Holyoke and Zuzanna Brewczynska-Zaluga of the Valley Opportunity Council at 592-4625.