Pima County has opened enrollment for its Summer Youth Employment Program.

The program is open to youth from 14 to 21 years old who want to gain work experience, develop new skills and advance their education.

Daphanie Conner, the County’s youth program manager for the Department of Community & Workforce Development, said the program often has a positive, lasting impact on kids who participate.

“They gain valuable work experience, develop connections to employers, and gain a work history and learn soft skills that can be used in multiple areas of their lives. Many contribute income to the household,” Conner said. “This program keeps many young people active in positive activities during the summer months.”

The program places youth into intern positions with local businesses, nonprofits, and Pima County departments. Work hours range from 20 to 30 hours a week, with the program lasting four weeks. Pay is a minimum of $15.75 an hour.

The program has two sessions – the first runs from June 2 through June 30 and the second runs between July 3 and July 28.

Youth who participate also can get involved in:

- A STEM program for college credit

- A hospitality boot camp to develop skills and earn certificates in the hospitality industry

- A construction/landscaping boot camp

- A customer-service boot camp for youth to learn about the three Ps: Professionalism, patience and a people-first attitude

- Internships with Pima County’s Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department, which gives youth the opportunity to work at several wastewater facilities

A total of 684 youth participated in the 2022 program.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with summer youth for over two decades and it gives me such a great pleasure when they come back and tell me that due to the summer program it opened many career opportunities for them,” said Maria Suarez, the summer program coordinator.

Youth who are interested in participating can also visit the County website or find paper copies of the application at schools or community centers.

Youth also can pick up an application at the Summer Youth & Family Resource Fair, which is slated for Saturday, March 11, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Youth Employment One-Stop Center, 320 N. Commerce Loop.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on Friday, March 24.

Youth who are in school must submit a copy of their most recent report card or unofficial transcript by Friday, March 31. Youth who are not in school must schedule their Test of Adult Basic Education assessments by that date.

Each summer, the program has about a $1.5 million impact on the local economy.

In 2022, more than 200 worksites were developed for the Summer Youth Employment Program.

The program hopes to provide youth this year with 905 summer jobs.

Anyone interested in having their workplace become a jobsite can fill out a worksite request form on the County website or call the Youth Center at 520-724-9649.

“The worksite supervisors also comment that the interns that they get every year are such a great pleasure to work with,” Suarez said.