Up to 100 low-income teens in Jacksonville will have paying jobs this summer through a new collaboration of local nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses.

The Jacksonville Summer Youth Job Preparation and Employment Program will be funded by a $240,000 grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, which has committed to support training, job stipends, and transportation costs.

The Job Readiness Training Program is conducted by Tipping the Scale staff this month at multiple sites in Jacksonville over four Saturdays. The program provides pre-employment training, on-the-job coaching and outside-the-job monitoring for youth as they experience the world of work for the first time. The curriculum includes courses in financial literacy; resumes, references and thank you letters; successful job interview skills; and accountability. Each participant who successfully completes the training earns a certificate that can be shared with potential in Jacksonville.

All youth employed through the program will be paid the federal minimum wage, $7.25 per hour.

Participating nonprofits and businesses are Baptist Hospital, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida, Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida, The Bridge of Northeast Florida, Communities In Schools, Folio Weekly, Jacksonville Suns, Jessie Ball duPont Fund, JP Morgan Chase, Junior Achievement, St. Vincent’s Medical Center, United Way of Northeast Florida, World Golf Foundation and YMCA of Florida’s First Coast.
The initiative is modeled after the highly successful Tipping The Scale program, which has been operating in Jacksonville for over twelve years, matching at-risk youth with summer and year-round work experiences, job training, mentoring and coaching. (See Tipping the Scale’ Helps Teens Discover Responsibility and Possibility, at www.dupontfund.org/tipping-the-scale-helps-teens-discover-responsibility... ).

“We know from experience that job training and summer employment can make a significant difference in the lives of young people,” said Sherry Magill, president of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. “We are particularly excited to see so many different community stakeholders come together to make this new initiative possible.”))