With local schools out for spring break next week, the city is getting a jump on its 2024 summer youth work program.
City officials are calling on teens and young adults to sign up for the program and for local businesses and industries to partner with the city to offer summer jobs.
During a regular El Dorado City Council meeting Thursday, Council Member Judy Ward announced plans to start compiling a list of potential employers and she asked those who are interested to call Mayor Paul Choate's office at 870-862-7911.
"I'd like to have a complete list by the end of April," Ward said.
Last year, city officials tweaked the program, which began a few years ago as an initiative to beautify the city while offering summer work to local youth.
In 2019, the city dipped into its reserve coffers and allotted $85,000 to fund the program, which was open to young adults and teens who were at least 17 years old.
The city worked with a local employment agency to coordinate the program and young employees were charged with such work as picking up litter and clearing overgrown vegetation and overhanging limbs from city streets and rights-of-way.
The program lasted for two years, with Murphy USA signing on as the sponsor in 2020 to assist with city beautification efforts.
City officials said participants benefited the seasonal program by gaining work experience and skills and training, including technical skills that are required for the job and soft skills to help secure and keep a job.
Some participants even landed permanent jobs with the city at the end of the season.
In 2023, city officials revived and revamped the program by partnering with local employers and offering job training sessions that were held at SouthArk and led by Ward, with assistance from Council Member Dianne Hammond.
"We taught them how to present themselves, how to fill out (a job) application, how to dress for an interview, how to conduct themselves for an interview, how to shake hands -- we went through all of that with them," said Ward.
"They can put this on a resume, so it's a beginning point to help teach responsibility and let them earn their own money," she continued.
Ward said the city can help by seeking out businesses that will consider hiring participants in the program.
Ward said the program will work the same way as in 2023.
Those who are interested in participating in the program may call the mayor's office to add their names to the list; undergo the training session -- which lasted about an hour and a half --; and receive a list of potential employers.
"Some of those young people hit the streets and they had jobs by that afternoon, so the early bird gets the worm" said Ward, adding that participants will be advised to begin their job searches as soon as possible following the training session.
Participating employers will set the work schedules and pay the young people that they hire.
Council Member Roy Bullock asked about an age requirement.
Hammond said participants as young as 16 joined the program last year, along with young adults, some of whom had recently graduated from college and were in search of summer and permanent employment.
The minimum age is 14 for employment in Arkansas. Those under 16 must secure a work permit from the Arkansas Department of Labor.
"I'll have to say that after the class, they were so appreciative of how to go through the interview and how to .... there were numerous that didn't even know how to fill out the application," Hammond said, referring to the job training session that was held in 2023.
Ward said more details about the program are forthcoming.
The city council agreed to start the process of coordinating the program so that it will be ready to go by the end of the spring semester for area schools.