The state Youth Employment Program is accepting applications for people between the ages of 14 and 24. The program helps place employees in a wide range of jobs.
As a young boy, Fred Wright volunteered at Ebony Horsewomen Equestrian and Therapeutic Center in Hartford.
“I was a troubled youth in school, pretty much the barn saved my life,” Fred Wright of Hartford said.
Later as a teen, Wright was hired as an employee at the Ebony Horsewomen through the Connecticut Youth Employment Program.
“It definitely helped us with bills, school clothes and school supplies. I don’t know what my focus would have been if I wasn’t able to come in, go to work and bring home a paycheck to help mom with the bills,” Wright said.
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The program runs year-round and helps place young people between the ages of 14 and 24 in jobs across the state.
“There is landscaping and sort of those typical summer camp-type jobs, but there is also opportunity in healthcare and manufacturing to really give youth an opportunity,” Labor Deputy Commissioner Mark Polzella said.
The goal is to help underserved youths earn a paycheck, gain job skills and build professional networks. The salaries of participating workers are covered by the state, so employers do not bear payroll costs.
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In 2022, the program received about 9,000 applications of those over 2,500 young people were placed in jobs and 500 employers participated.
“It is true we always have more applications than we have funding for positions. I think it’s important to be persistent, if they are not able to get into the program the first year, they should keep on trying,” Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo said.
Wright is now an alumni of the CT Youth Employment Program and owns Five Star Horseshoeing. The 26-year-old is focused on giving back to the community that helped him succeed.
“I hope to start a farrier school here with the help of Ebony Horsewomen,” Wright said. “[To] show other young teenagers and young men and ladies a different alternative, a different route."
More information on the CT Youth Employment Program can be found here.
