Merced County youth job training program aims to build careers, gets supervisors’ support
Young Merced residents looking for work can soon benefit from a youth job training plan geared toward fostering long-term careers.
The initiative was sparked last year, when Merced leaders allocated over $1 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars to provide workforce development to local youth.
The Merced County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took the next step by approving a contract with the City of Merced for a youth work experience program.
“I think this is a nice move,” County Supervisor Daron McDaniel said before casting his vote in support of the initiative.
The County Department of Workforce Investment will administer the program. Workforce Investment Director Erick Serrato described the initiative as a “novel program” aimed toward providing young people not only with jobs, but lasting careers.
“(The program will) leverage that money in new ways to start long-term careers, so they’re not just doing summer jobs but really getting the skills that are going to advance them into their twenties and beyond,” Serrato said at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
The contract spans from May through June 2024 and is designed to enroll 400 young people over two years. More program details will be defined during a collaborative process with Merced youth. Those details will be released later in May, county documents say.
Participating youth will partake in work readiness and employment activities intended to lead to careers, job development and educational opportunities.
The program will aid young people, age 16-24, through an earn-and-learn model where participants are paid as they complete 20 hours of work readiness training and an average of 100 hours of temporary work at local small businesses. Participants will earn minimum wage.
Merced College will act as the provider of work readiness training with a focus on customer service and other soft skills, according to county documents.
Funds will also go toward additional earn-and-learn models, including on-the-job training to connect older youth with permanent positions that pay higher wages.
