Officials on Monday will announce the launch of the San Diego Workforce Partnership’s County Youth Internship program to offer positions in the green economy to young people.
The partnership estimates that there are 31,000 San Diegans between the age of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor employed. The organization dubs them “opportunity youth.”
The program will provide 40 qualified young people from that category with paid on-the-job training through work placements with county departments focused on environmental quality and stewardship.
The departments include parks and recreation, planning and development, public works and agriculture, environmental health, general services and the county library.
The aim is to create new opportunities for underemployed youths in fields such as renewable energy, sustainable land use and waste management, while also meeting the San Diego region’s climate goals.
In March, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $500,000 to fund a proposal to provide the paid employment opportunities for youths.
The Workforce Partnership received $300,000 to launch the internship program.
The proposal, by Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Nora Vargas, received unanimous approval.
Lawson-Remer will appear at a late-morning news conference Monday to discuss the program with guest, including Parina Parikh, vice president of sector initiatives for the Workforce Partnership.