First Break for Students

Nearly 11,000 Southland high-school students will try their hands this summer at jobs ranging from computer operators to dishwashers, thanks to an annual program sponsored this year by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Unified School District and General Telephone of California.

The program, First Break, aims to help students learn good work habits and explore possible careers.

“For many students, this is their first job so they need to be trained in work skills,” said Laura Segall, a spokeswoman for the chamber.

She noted that participating students receive training in such things as resume writing and dressing for success, and some students end up keeping the summer jobs for the full year, or start careers through the summer job.

The 14-year-old program so far this year has lined up 10,325 summer jobs with more than 1,000 Southland employers, just short of its goal of 11,000 jobs, Segall said.

Last year’s program offered 10,897 jobs; the program offered a record 12,605 jobs in 1979 during a booming California economy.

There are jobs available for all types of skills, and range from security guards to electrical repair to child care to clerical work, First Break coordinator Eleanor Torguson said.

Students between the ages of 16 and 18 interested in a job through First Break should contact the work experience office at a local Los Angeles Unified School District high school, although enrollment in the district is not required, Torguson said.

The only requirements for employers, Segall said, are that the jobs must be in the Los Angeles area and must pay at least the $3.35-per-hour minimum wage. Employers interested in listing jobs with First Break should call 625-6688, Segall said.

Unfortunately, however, not all students will get jobs through the program. “It’s just like looking for any other job.” They will have to go in there for an interview and get the job on their own merits, Segall said.