Jobs Project Offers Hope to Youths

A job training program offered by the Department of Water and Power helps troubled high school students earn salaries and school credit while easing the transition from the classroom to the working world.

The Youth Service Academy, sponsored by the city in cooperation with the Los Angeles Unified School District, targets students who are “at risk” of dropping out of school and offers them guidance and a paycheck, said Voviette Morgan, program coordinator.

The 426 students enrolled citywide in the academy earn $5.21 to $7.01 doing clerical, computer and maintenance work in 37 city offices. Participants are matched with city employees who serve as mentors and receive counseling on educational possibilities after high school. Some students have been hired as permanent city employees, Morgan said.

To be eligible, students must be 16 to 20, enrolled in the Los Angeles Unified School District and be at risk of dropping out. Some of the youths are parents, students in financial need or victims of crime or abuse.

The Youth Service Academy helped Lorena Rodriguez, an 18-year-old senior at Roosevelt High School, redefine her future.

Rodriguez did not have the grades to graduate with her classmates last spring. After a year in the academy, Rodriguez is making Cs, plans to graduate this year and hopes to attend college in the fall. “I think I’m doing better than before,” said Rodriguez, who recently received a promotion in her clerical job at DWP. “Now I know you need a lot of studying to get a good job.”

Participants must complete 30 hours of community service annually, and attend a weekly academy class that teaches them about city government, workplace etiquette and employer expectations.

The academy, founded in 1990, has been funded with $6.5 million from DWP. The funding expires in June, but the city hopes to continue the program, Morgan said.

The academy offers students more than job skills, said Judith Davis, manager of employee services. “The students learn that there’s a place for them in society and there are people who care about them,” Davis said. “Those are life lessons.”

Information: (213) 481-4546.