Title:
In New Jersey, a Summer Jobs Program With a Bigger
Purpose
Description: This is
a VOA Special English Education Report.
See text below
Text:
The United States has lost almost seven million jobs
since the recession began in December of two
thousand seven. The good news: the central bank says
economic activity appears to be "leveling out."
The bad news: no one knows when the job market will
recover. These days, if a job is available, young
people often have to compete with more experienced
workers. The situation is worst for those with the
least education.
About thirty percent of workers age sixteen to
twenty-four with less than a high school diploma
were unemployed in July. That was more than three
times the national unemployment rate.
The Labor Department says even among high school
graduates, twenty-one percent of those with no
college were jobless. The federal stimulus spending
includes money to pay for jobs for needy young
people.
One such program in the state of New Jersey gave
some young people their first experience with the
world of work. Counselors at the One-Stop Career
Center in Hackensack found jobs for a few hundred
young people this summer. The jobs were twenty hours
a week through August.
The pay was seven dollars and twenty-five cents an
hour -- the federal minimum wage. Those chosen came
from poor families and also faced at least one
barrier to getting a job. For example, they had left
school or had been in trouble with the law.
Sixteen-year-old Nahdir Gonzalez left school last
year. He said he wanted a job because he did not
want to get in trouble. He wants to stay on the
right path so he can be successful in life.
The director of the program is Salvatore Mastroeni,
a former principal of a high school. He said after
the students leave the program they can begin a GED
program. Many colleges and employers will accept
what is known as a GED as the equivalent of a high
school diploma.
Salvatore Mastroeni often drives from Hackensack to
nearby Englewood. There, he has placed young workers
in the recreation department and other local
government jobs.
Twenty-year-old Desirae Somerville worked in a
school office and also helped out at the recreation
center. She said she is working with children to
paint and fix classrooms.
And that's the VOA Special English Education Report.
You can find other reports at our Web site,
voaspecialenglish.com.
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Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
