Summer Forecast for Teen Employment: Partly Sunny

Summer is a time for many high school and college students to regroup from a demanding school year. For most, it involves some form of employment to keep gas in their cars, movie and shopping money at the ready - and their hands out of mom and dads pockets.

Although the picture isn't perfectly sunny and bright this summer in Anne Arundel County, there are jobs and internships available to help teens earn money while gaining some real-world work experience.

 "When the unemployment rate is high, teens get put to the back of the line. We also had no federal funds last year or this year," said Trudy Chara of the Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning Program for the Department of Labor, Licencing and Regulation. "Every local area has done different things, like job fairs," she said.

The bright-side is that there are plenty of seasonal opportunities in this area, including outdoor community pools throughout the county and summer camps. In the food service industry, there are many new restaurants opening in Annapolis and at Arundel Mills.

DRD pools, located in Glen Burnie is still hiring in Anne Arundel County for full and part-time lifeguards, said Maria Cichocki, a DRD administrator. There are a few positions still open in Severna Park.  To date, the company has hired close to 350 teenagers age 16 and up. "The majority are hired," she said.

High school and college students with a GPA of 3.5 and up are eligible for free lifeguard training. Visit http://www.drdpools.com/pool_service/archive1.html for details and to apply online.

" There are a many entry level positions and businesses that are looking to fill internships and this is a good opportunity for those looking for higher-skilled opportunities," said Heather Henry, communication administrator for grants development, Maryland State Workforce Development.  "There are a lot of restaurants opening up that offer a prime opportunity and a good place to start," she said.

The Annapolis Town Center has opportunities in the new shops and restaurants that have opened or soon to be opened, see the story at .

According to Manpower in Hanover, there will be plenty of jobs available throughout Anne Arundel County for summer job-seekers age 18 and up.

"We are definitely getting busy with warehouse work, picking and packing, office work, receptions and little projects here and there," said Lauren Gaudreau, Manpower staffing specialist.

Globally, Manpower's quarterly Employment Outlook Survey released on March 8 for the second quarter, indicates the employers in 10 of 13 industry sectors are anticipating adding more employees this year in the quarter ahead.

In Severna Park, the new Celebree Learning Center has a Welcome Center open across the parking lot from their future location at Robinson Crossing Shopping Center. In the former Quiznos Subs, now closed, Celebree is accepting applications from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from those age 18 and up applying for summer work. The center is slated to open in the former Curves location in early June.

The starting wage is $8.25 an hour and up depending on experience, said Amy Holbrook, director of the center. "They need some type of experience in early childhood education or child development background," said Holbrook. For students, opportunities there would include positions as teacher assistants.

For teens who want to work outdoors to get in some volunteer time working with youth to add to their resume,  the Department of Recreation and Parks has many openings. The Volunteer Cener for Anne Arundel County shared the following youth volunteer opportunities with Patch:

Specific events at county parks are available for youth and adults looking to volunteer this summer as well as programs listed on their web site at www.aacounty.org/recparks.  Contact Wendy Scarborough at rpscar88@aacounty.org or 410-222-7313, Ext. 3554 for more information for the following:

Counselor in Training (CIT) Program

•  Youth candidate volunteers able to serve for four weeks are being sought for the CIT Program. Those completing eighth grade in June 2011 are eligible to serve at one of the Summer Fun Centers. Those completing  ninth grade in June  2011 are eligible for Day Camp Programs. The application deadline is May 6, 2011. Applications are available online at www.aacounty.org/recparks

         Summer Serve Leadership Challenge 2011

•  The Volunteer Summer Serve Leadership Challenge 2011 (VSSLC) program is a  two week volunteer program with four different sessions. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about and discuss various topics ranging from school year volunteer opportunities to conflict resolution strategies and social issues that they may face in today’s society.

Successful completion of the program allows for the opportunity to earn community service hours as well as give work experience as you begin to interview for employment, apply for college, and in various other aspects throughout your life. Applications are available online at www.aacounty.org/recparks and must be received by May 13, 2011 for consideration.

Civil Air Patrol –Arundel Composite Squadron

The Civil Air Patrol does aeronautical training and has a cadet program for teen-agers. The Arundel Composite Squadron holds meetings at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Glen Lutheran Church in Glen Burnie. For more information, call  Tim Strickland at 410-960-1337 or e-mail: tmstrickland@comcast.net or visit http://arundel.mdwg.cap.gov/

For tips on helping your teen find a summer job, visit About.com teens.