Not the usual summer job

This summer, the program included several young people in International Falls working in all types of companies and roles, such as hair salons, retail stores and this newspaper.

Youth are matched to the type of job that would best fit their skills and interests, said Carol Stegmeir, career counselor at the local Office of Job Training, located in the WorkForce Center at Rainy River Community College.

“Maybe they’re young and they’ve never had experience,” said Stegmeir. She said that the types of skills the employees learn through the program are often transferable to many types of jobs — customer service and dealing with co-workers and customers, for example.

Participants in the program are paired with companies willing to train and mentor the youth, and in exchange the business gets that extra employee whose salary is paid through the Office of Job Training program.

“We’ve always gotten incredible cooperation from the community,” Stegmeir said, speaking of the numerous employers who have participated in the program since it started more than 30 years ago.

Some employers have even retained program participants as regular employees after their program term has ended due to the participants’ success.

Stegmeir said that this program gives these youth jobs that may otherwise be unavailable given the economy.

For more information on the program or to see if a youth qualifies for the program, visit www.jobtrainingmn.org or call 283-9427.

Worksite: Weekly Tweak

Participant: Keith Simon

Main Supervisor: Jeff Morrison

Keith Simon has been with the Summer Youth Work Experience program for about a year and a half. Simon has been employed at Weekly Tweak, a store that specializes in fixing computers.

Simon’s supervisor Jeff Morrison was once in the same program. “The program helped me a lot and now I own my own business,” Morrison said.

Morrison also expressed how having Simon working there has freed up a lot of his time and gave him more business. “Keith is really good at removing computer viruses. It’s a huge help having him here and he always has a smile on his face.”

Simon will likely be working in technology into the future, he said. “I want to go into the Air Force and work on the intelligence team,” he said. He has friends and family that are in the U.S. Air Force, encouraging his decision.

Simon will stay working with the Weekly Tweak store as a hired employee, as he will no longer be on the program after the summer.

“He is such a good worker we wanted to keep him, so we just hired him,” Morrison said.

Worksite: Slumberland

Participant: Thomas Doe

Main Supervisor: Tammy Monroe

Thomas Doe works at Slumberland in International Falls through the Summer Youth Work Experience program.

This is Doe’s first summer with the program and his first job ever. He says it is better than most jobs and finds it a good way to earn money. His duties at Slumberland include keeping the storage area clean and organizing anything that needs to be put away in storage.

Doe’s plans for college are going into game design or programming of games. He enjoys playing video games and would like to have a future in creating them. He wants to do some of his college online, to get his generals done and to pursue his passion for gaming.

Doe is enjoying his job and mostly for one reason: “I really like the people I work with,” he said.

Worksite: Ridgeview Assisted Living

Participant: Desiree Cope

Main Supervisor: D. Taylor

Desiree Cope has accomplished a lot in the last year and a half while being with the Summer Youth Work Experience program.

Cope is a 20 year old that has reached her goal of becoming a certified nurse at the Ridgeview Assisted Living facility. Her duties at Ridgeview consist of passing out medication to the residents and helping them with their daily tasks.

When asked how she likes working there she responded, “It feels like going home, it’s very comfortable where I work.”

Cope plans to pursue her nursing degree at the Rainy River Community College. She enjoys being able to help people with their daily lives, she said. Other things that she is involved with are volunteering at the community college and food shelf.

Worksite: The Amp Salon

Participant: Cassidy Frank

Main Supervisor: Lisa Jensen

As an employee at the Amp Salon, Cassidy Frank has done a great job and works hard, her supervisor Lisa Jensen said.

Frank helps out at the salon by doing the laundry, sweeping the floors, cleaning off the stations where hair is cut, answering the phone and scheduling appointments. Frank says she really likes working at the salon because of the relaxed atmosphere.

“Everyone here at the salon is really nice and easy to work with,” Cassidy said of her work environment.

She wants to go into psychology, history or music when entering college, but she hasn’t picked the one yet. “I want to keep my options open,” Frank said about college majors.

Worksite: Ben Franklin

Participant: Bethany Tupper

Main Supervisor: Betty Ohlquist

Bethany Tupper is a very outgoing 17 year old that has been a great help at the Ben Franklin craft store, said her manager Betty Ohlquist.

This is Tupper’s first summer with the program, although she did work through the school year at her high school with the Summer Youth program. Her duties at Ben Franklin involve being a cashier, break relief, checking inventory and helping out where she is needed.

The new skills Tupper says she has attained while working at the craft store are cash management and learning to work with different people with different personalities.

“The different people who come in here are entertaining. I learn how to work with them,” Tupper said.

Her supervisor, Betty Ohlquist is impressed with Tupper’s ability to make valuable suggestions for the store. “She came up with a better way to rearrange the fabric tables, which worked out way better than my original idea.”

Worksite: The Journal

Participant: Zach Wood

Main Supervisor: Jim Johnson

As an employee at The Journal newspaper, Zach Wood has a job writing “Zach Wood’s Did You Know ...?” for the sports section of the paper.

This was Wood’s third summer working with the Summer Youth program and he said he has loved every minute of it. Wood said he has a passion for sports. His favorite sport is hockey and he dreams of one day going to a Minnesota Wild game. He has had the opportunity to go to a Viking football game and watched it on the green, which is right on the sidelines of the field.

His supervisor, Jim Johnson said he feels lucky to have Wood work with him at the newspaper. Johnson is the sports editor for The Journal.

“Zach has done at least 150 ‘Did You Know’ sports excerpts and I can tell he truly enjoys it,” Johnson said.

Worksite: Border Cuts

Participant: Darian Charboneau

Darian Charboneau works at Border Cuts Salon in International Falls.

Her duties at the salon include sweeping, washing towels and capes, answering the phone, and cleaning the stations where hair is cut. She found out about the Summer Youth program from her mother who works with the Minnesota Office of Job Training.

Charboneau is also involved with sports. She is an avid volleyball player.

Even though she is just in seventh grade, Darian already knows what career she wants to pursue and the college she wants to attend. She hopes to one day become a veterinarian and study at the University of North Dakota.