Youths seeking job experience and business people seeking employees will have the chance to connect through a new website the Jefferson County Growth Association administers.
“With the success of our women’s networking program, I was looking for a way to get youth involved in the growth of our county,” said Dan Govero, JCGA president.
The site, accessed at sites.google.com/view/jcga-youth-outreach or through jcgamo.org, has links to JCGA members who are seeking young workers, as well as to member businesses offering internships or shadowing opportunities.
“We don’t have anything listed yet, because we just went live with the site this week,” Govero said on Oct. 20, “but we’re hoping that this is going to be a place where our members will want to spread their word.
“It’s still very early; we’re just getting the word out.”
Govero said he hopes a variety of businesses will take advantage of the site.
“There are jobs out there, lots of jobs,” Govero said. “And you don’t have to go to college for everything. The trades offer a lot of opportunities.”
Another link offers information about volunteer opportunities.
The page also spotlights a young entrepreneur. The first is Tyson Ervin, who owns an auto-detailing business, The Detailing Kid, while also working for Castle Cleaning Solutions.
People may nominate future youthful entrepreneurs to spotlight on the website.
The website also offers tips for job interviews, resumes and other employment advice.
Govero said there is no particular age group the JCGA is trying to target.
“There are some college graduates who need some help finding a job,” he said. “But I would think mostly, we’re looking at junior high and high school students.”
Govero said Doréan Dow, assistant superintendent of secondary schools for the Northwest R-1 School District and a member of the JCGA board, has taken the lead on coordinating the site.
“Hopefully, we’ll get some young people to get involved,” Govero said. “They’re going to be inheriting our county.”