The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Think back to our younger days, a time where we had to find a summer job. It seemed a requirement at the time, and for many parents it was a requirement. The reason I bring this up is because the teens of Coulee Country are once again asking the question, “Where can I get a job this summer?”

It is becoming harder and harder for the youth of our area to find summer employment in the area. There are many reasons for this, but part of the hardship for the kids is they do not know where or how to look. Back in my day, it seemed there where jobs everywhere, but in today’s age it seems like it can be a challenge.

Mowing lawns and babysitting still rings true today, but consistency is the key to keeping these jobs through the spring and summer. In my time, Safeway, Harvest Foods and local eateries were the popular spots for seasonal positions. But these days the positions seem to be filled by young men and women out of school.

We also had the Ice Company back then, which employed a small army for ice packaging and delivery. Loepps was also a good location for a few strong-backed who could handle the load for deliveries. Back then it seemed like the job market was wide open for the less experienced work force.

Today’s age has limitations in the area. Yes, a few get hired at the national and state parks and there are few single job opportunities, but for the most part there are not many jobs available for anyone, let alone teens. I talked to many teens who have said they have had to find work in other places during the summer months, such as Spokane or other, bigger places. Part of the problem is no one knows how to connect the student worker with the employer.

The Tribe’s Summer Youth Employment Program is a great example of connecting the youth to the worker for the demographic they work with. Last year, they put over 100 kids to work in a variety of job opportunities in our area and did the same in Omak, Keller and Inchelium. They are good at finding the work and plugging in the kids, along with training them.

We need an organization to organize the other opportunities and connect a student worker to that opening with a list of students wanting summer employment that meet the criteria and a compiled list of summer jobs in the area. Connecting kids to possible employers.

For example, a student who had a grade-point average of above 2.0 and had less than 10 days absent from school could fill out an application for the work force program and be put on the list. Then say the Siam Palace, which may be in need of a dishwasher, contacts the program and gets the position listed with the requirements for the job. The program sets up an interview between the student and Siam. Seems like a good plan to me.

So, until that time, students will have to keep reading the newspaper and asking around. But the need is there. It can be so frustrating wanting to work and not being able to find a job. But there will always be pulling weeds and mowing lawns. I’m Jess Saying.