GREENFIELD — With the help of a federal workforce development grant, up to 30 youths in both Turners Falls and Orange may find themselves getting some hands-on work experience over the next three summers, plus some college and career counseling in between.
The Greenfield-based Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board recently received a $1.9 million “Summer Jobs and Beyond” grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to help communities with high average youth unemployment get young people working.
In both towns, the average youth unemployment rate is around 7 percent higher than the national average for people between ages 16 and 24, according to a press release. Ware, in Hampshire County, will also benefit from the grant.
The grant is one of 11 such awards distributed nationwide. The goal is to find jobs for up to 180 young people over the next three years, and provide them with counseling and support for career readiness.
The Regional Employment Board will partner with Community Action of Franklin and Hampshire counties and the North Quabbin Region, which will provide a team of counselors to work within each town’s school system to find eligible candidates and connect them to employers in both the private and public sector. The program will also support the North Quabbin Community Coalition and the Brick House in Turners Falls in the second year.
Employment board staff will also help school guidance counselors to develop career development programs to help youth learn about pathways to careers in agriculture, health care, manufacturing and the “green” economy.
“Our economy in western Massachusetts is stronger when all young people have opportunities to contribute,” U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern said in a statement.
“When young people have access to good summer jobs, they can build the foundation they need to start successful careers and provide for themselves and their families. Thanks to this grant, Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board will have the resources they need to create new opportunities for young people in our community.”
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