The city of Orlando recently announced the expansion of its Summer Youth Employment Program, which will provide summer internships to between 300 and 400 teenagers and give them each a bank account, an income of $14 an hour, and financial literacy training. 

According to The Orlando Sentinel, the teens will be employed for the season in a variety of jobs, including positions at summer camps, insurance companies, retail and hospitality. 

Orlando teenagers in the program will be employed in a variety of industries, including summer camps, insurance companies, retail and hospitality. (Photo: AdobeStock)

The program participants will be paid by CareerSource Central Florida, which means that their employers get an intern at no cost to them. The teens will earn $14 an hour over a 30-hour summer workweek. 

“What a great deal that is,” Orlando Mayor Bobby Dyer said. “We help train the students, and you get to take advantage of that now-skilled labor.”

The Summer Youth Employment Program is for teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 who are eligible for free and reduced lunch when in school. It hopes to teach them life skills and expose them to potential career paths. 

City officials told The Sentinel that for many students, this is likely to be their first paycheck, thus, there’s the additional component of financial literacy, which includes training around budgeting and saving, as well as getting a bank account — not to mention job experience for their resumes that could benefit them long-term. 

“It’s not just small businesses; we’re looking for those that might be corporations or office skillsets. … It can be an individual — a photographer, a videographer that might need some youth to intern,” Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill said. “We want to try to match these kids up with their future endeavors, so when they show up at work, they cannot just see themselves at work, but 10 years down the road.”

The program is sponsored in part by Disney, the Orlando Business Journal, Bank of America and Orlando Health. 

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