Los Angeles County will soon be expanding its Summer Youth Employment Program, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisors Knabe and Zev Yaroslavsky to significantly increase the number of youth eligible to get a summer job. The expanded program could employ as many as 15,000 youth throughout the County.

State rules allow for local governments to utilize American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to provide summer youth employment for a specific group of qualifying young people, including those in CalWORKs families, in foster care or emancipating from foster care. It is estimated that the County could draw down as much as $30 million in federal funds to create the 15,000 summer jobs. The expansion of this important program is made possible by the successful partnerships that the County already has in place.

Just over a year ago the Board of Supervisors approved a plan to develop employment opportunities for up to 10,000 County residents, utilizing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. As a result, an unprecedented collaboration emerged between Los Angeles County and the Workforce Investment Boards across the County, and yielded employment for over 11,000 adults and youth.

There is a tremendous need for our youth to be meaningfully engaged in positive activities in our communities, and employment is vital to that experience, said Supervisor Knabe. We will continue to take full advantage of every opportunity to provide summer jobs to thousands of young people, which for many is their only chance to learn and practice the skills needed to transition into a self-sufficient adulthood.

Click here for more information or to apply visit the County’s Summer Youth Employment Program website.