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Teens dive into job market

The job hunt has begun. Tried-and-true positions like camp counselor and lifeguard are joined by some less traditional gigs.

By TRACIE REDDICK
Published April 21, 2006

William Hume wants to make a big splash this summer.

So the 18-year-old student at the Pinellas Technical Education Center is seeking a job that will pay him to have fun.

"I love the water," Hume said. "My ideal summer job is to work as a pool attendant at TradeWinds (Island Resorts in St. Pete Beach)."

He's not alone.

Garrett Dudley, 15, a freshman at Countryside High School is a former junior leader who will return as a counselor-in-training when summer camp starts next month in Safety Harbor.

Dudley's summer as a junior leader taught him how to take directions and constructive criticism, he said, valuable lessons for future employment. He said he learned how to talk to parents and cooperate with others.

He also got to play football with the summer campers, watch movies and swim.

"I still got to do everything that a 15-year-old kid would like to do," Dudley said.

Hume and Garrett are among thousands of teens nationwide who are gearing up for an annual quest, scanning the classifieds for summer employment. Clearwater, Largo, Dunedin and Safety Harbor are among Pinellas County cities and other agencies that offer jobs and training programs to keep teens like them busy.

But some say it's not enough. Although a stronger economy suggests a positive outlook for summer employment, many employers consider today's teens ill prepared to fill the jobs. They turn to retired seniors to fill positions traditionally held by teens.

"While it may be cheaper to hire a teen, many companies prefer to hire older workers because they have a stronger work ethic," said Deborah Figgs-Sanders, the summer youth coordinator for Boley Behavioral Centers, which offers jobs as summer camp leaders to St. Petersburg youths.

"I get up to 1,000 applications each year," Figgs-Sanders said. "But I only have slots for about 150 teens."

Another effort to employ and prepare teens, WorkNet Pinellas, is working with PTEC, St. Petersburg College and Junior Achievement to organize "Job-a-thon 2006." The program rallies local employers through a telephone campaign to pledge jobs to people 17 to 21. Before starting jobs, the young people will go through workshops to prepare them for the work force. Participants will be recruited from PTEC, SPC and local high schools.

Teens like Hume learn the skills they will need on the job.

"Junior Achievement helps our students to think about job readiness in a more real way," said James Natelle, who is in charge of the students taking Job-a-thon workshops at PTEC's south Pinellas campus.

Preparing youngsters for future careers is critical, said Figgs-Sanders, who explained that a lack of training plays a huge role in 14- and 15-year-olds not getting jobs.

"Their biggest problem is their mouths," she said. "They want to socialize and work at that same time and are not mature enough to separate the two."

Municipal governments also are train and employ teens. Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park and Seminole are accepting applications from teens for lifeguard and camp counselor positions at recreation centers.

Clearwater offers a summer camp counselor training program to teens. At least 35 participate each year, said Sandy Clayton, the city's recreation coordinator. At age 18, former camp trainees are eligible to become paid camp counselors at one of the city's six recreation programs.

"They know they can at least get into the system this way," Clayton said. "We have a lot of junior counselors who go on to become counselors."

Largo employs about 20 teens a year through its aquatic programs, said Mary Nolen, assistant director of Largo's recreation department. Teens must be 15 or older and have their lifeguard certification to obtain a paid job.

But those age 11 to 14 years of age can still get experience through the city's volunteer lifeguard training program, which gives the city a sustainable pool of teen applicants for aquatic jobs.

"These are jobs that teens can come into summer after summer from high school to college," Nolen said.

In Safety Harbor, nine teens will spend the summer as junior leader program volunteers. The teens, ages 13, 14 and 15, were picked from 20 applicants to help with the summer camp run by the city, said program coordinator Julie Inman.

They'll go through the same orientation and training as the rest of the camp staff, Inman said, but every Monday, the nine teens will have a training session just for them.

The sessions will bring in different speakers to talk about dating, diversity, customer service and the job application process.

The teens are unpaid but treated like any other employee, Inman said. Many return when they are high school students for paid positions as counselors-in-training.

Dunedin also places about 90 teens 13 and older in summer camps and programs, said city recreation division director Peg Cummings. They begin as counselors-in-training and progress onto to become junior counselors and recreation aides. The first year is done on a volunteer basis. Teens work full time for eight weeks and learn a range of workplace skills.

"It's just a tremendous program that we have in the city and we've had it for many, many years," Cummings said.

Some teens want summer jobs to earn cash for cars, clothes and CDs. Others want to learn job skills they can parlay into rewarding careers.

Through Job-a-thon, WorkNet is reaching out to the latter category and hopes businesses will respond.

"We're hoping local companies will step forward and pledge a summer job to deserving youth," said Garry Burlingame, WorkNet's business services director. "It's an excellent way to let local high school students and graduates know of the many great companies with outstanding employment opportunities right here in Pinellas County."

Times staff writers Nicole Johnson, Tamara El-Khoury and Richard Danielson contributed to this story.

A national online organization aims to link teens with people who need house sitting, pet sitting, lawn work, car washing and other such work done. Visit: Teens4Hire.org.

[Last modified April 21, 2006, 08:13:41]