Santa Maria teens explore employment opportunities at job fair

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The City of Santa Maria is holding a Teen Job and Resource Fair on Thursday afternoon at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center.

The three-hour event will provide local teenagers a chance to explore employment opportunities just weeks before the end of the current school year.

"They're invited to check out some of the employers that are participating today, in addition to some community partner agencies that have resources and services to provide for them," said David Rodriguez, Santa Maria Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Safety coordinator. "The employment that is being offered today will kick off in summer and then it's up to the teen if they want to continue when school starts."

The job fair was targeted for high school students from around the Santa Maria Valley that are age 15 through 18.

"I'm trying to get out of the house and I'm looking for something fun to do," said Righetti student Veronica Santoy." I'm kind of nervous, but I feel like I can do it if I communicate with people."

"I like to get out of the house and to be like occupied during the summer," said student Jessica Ortega. "I think it will be very nice to get out of my shell a little bit."

Held by the City of Santa Maria Recreation & Parks Department and the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Safety, the event is intended to enhance the quality of life for local teens, as well as serve as a deterrent strategy to prevent them from engaging in juvenile crime and gang involvement.

"Studies show that employed teens are less likely to engage in drug use, gang involvement and crime and so we want to give an opportunity to our teens to be able to connect with employment before summer starts," said Rodriguez. "Besides the perk of having some extra income and the economic development for the city, if they are engaged in professional or recreational activity, they are more than likely to not be engaging in misconduct, and so we want to make sure that are teens are getting set and getting the experience they'll need to be successful adults."

A lot of the jobs available at the fair are for unpaid volunteer positions, while some are offering wages. No matter what, the teens that receive employment through the job fair will each receive valuable work experience.

"I think it's important to get those initial skills in, especially with that first job," said Jeanette Blanco, Boys and Girls Club of Mid Central Coast Director of Teen Services. "They really want to build up that resume, so getting those initial soft skills are really critical."

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