Employers can help a young person with their career and possibly benefit from having half of an employee’s salary up to $10 an hour funded by the federal government.

It’s part of the Employment Mentoring Program being offered through Give Every Child a Chance that’s open to youth 16 through 21 years of age.

It involves a six-hour per work, six-week commitment that provides youth the opportunity to shadow an expert in the field of their career choice to determine if it would be a good fit for their future.

The program involves a four-hour orientation class on how to build and write a resume, cover and thank you letters, appropriate dress attire, interview preparation and appearance, work schedule and time management, customer service, phone etiquette as well as how to research and apply for scholarships.

When a youth indicates their field of interest, the GECAC staff will work to secure a match in the community.

After the end of the six-week monitoring program that is essentially job shadowing, the employer has the option of hiring the youth. Federal funds are being used by GECAC to pay half of the salary of any youth hired for six months with a maximum the GECAC pays at $5 an hour.

“It’s better that students find out early whether they really want to pursue a specific career,” said Carol Davis, GECAC executive director. “Finding out they really don’t like something can prevent them from wasting a lot of time and money on the wrong course of study.”

The program is open to any youth interested in learning the realities of being in the work force. They hope to target foster children, teen parents, and students from families living in low-income households at or below the poverty level. GECAC will provide all mandatory safety equipment and will assist those youth who can’t afford proper work attire with arrangements they have made through Kohl’s and Big 5 Sporting Goods.

For more information contact GECAC at 823-6222.