This summer, the Franklin County Commissioners are once again supporting Franklin County young people who are working summer jobs or need a little help finishing all of their high school credits with a $4.5 million investment through their Job and Family Services department. The funding comes from part of the county’s allocation from the American Rescue Plan and will support as many as 1,700 local youth as part of two separate programs.
One of the two initiatives is the Ready2Earn summer youth work readiness program, which will offer 450 low-income residents aged 14 to 18 a combination of virtual and in-person work readiness and training experiences. The students will learn about teamwork, professionalism, critical thinking, problem-solving, and other 21
st century workplace skills over the course of an eight-week program. All of the participants will also receive a $1,000 stipend over the course of the summer and the opportunity to earn hundreds more via performance-based incentives.
The second funded initiative is the JFS program, Summer Jobs and More: Summer JAM. This partnership with the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio and several Franklin County school districts will provide 1,250 local high school juniors and seniors with six weeks of summer education and specialized college and career coaching. Students will have access to career advocates to help develop individualized success plans for life after high school, and will receive a bi-weekly stipend and be eligible to earn additional financial incentives for successfully completing education and career readiness goals.
This year, many more students than usual have fallen behind in school, and many youth will be faced with the choice of enrolling in summer school or seeking a summer job to help support their families. Studies show that students who don’t graduate from high school will likely face a lifetime of additional challenges, so the Summer JAM program allows them to get the credits they need while still earning a paycheck so they don’t have to choose between supporting their families or graduating from high school. Click
here to learn more about Summer JAM.
Both programs align with the
Rise Together Blueprint goals, including by developing and deploying comprehensive career readiness support for students with exposure to work and integrated skill-based learning opportunities. Partners on the Ready2Earn initiative include the Columbus Urban League, the Godman Guild Association, and TECH Corps Ohio, and you can learn more about the Ready2Earn program
here.
You can learn more about how the commissioners are using American Rescue Plan funding to help our community recover at
Recovery.FranklinCountyOhio.gov.