Wilmington’s Parks and Recreation Department Opens the 2018 Youth Career Development Program Application Process

The formerly titled Summer Youth Employment Program is expected to provide jobs and internships for 475 young people June through August

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Kelley announced today the opening of the registration period for the City’s 2018 Youth Career Development program (formerly titled the Summer Youth Employment Program). The application form for young people interested in applying can be found on the City’s website at www.WilmingtonDE.gov/parksjobs, or applicants can call the Department of Parks and Recreation at 302.576.3822.

This year, the City will employ approximately 475 youths in various jobs and internships within City government as well as in the business and community sectors. Mayor Purzycki said the program’s title change is intended to signal to participants that these jobs could be the start of a potential career. The Mayor said he wants all participants and those who host the young people in jobs or internships to stress the importance of appearance, timeliness, achievement and retention of information as ways to reach career goals. Mayor Purzycki said that Youth Career Development program is an important job-placement and internship effort that will help City young people develop valuable work skills and prepare those same young people for a successful future.

“We’re excited about this program and the opportunity to provide our City’s youth with a solid foundation for both personal and professional growth while also instilling in them an appreciation of the value of service to one’s community,” said the Mayor.

To be considered for the 2018 Youth Career Development program, applicants must be between the ages of 14 and 20, must complete an application form in its entirety, and must meet other income, residency and job-eligibility requirements, which can also be found online. Applicants 17 years of age and under must also complete a Delaware Department of Labor work permit form, which can also be downloaded from the City’s website. In addition, all participants in this year’s program must arrange for direct deposit of their paychecks in order to be paid.
Another new feature of the revamped Youth Career Development program is the two-track path to summertime employment: competitive internships and the traditional lottery drawing.

This year interested individuals will have the option of applying for one of at least 100 internships with entities including Summer Collab, Tyler’s Camp, Freedom School, Green Jobs, Delaware Pathways, Christiana Care, Delaware Vocations and the City of Wilmington. Interns will be selected through an open and competitive interview process. Applications will be available on the City website and at various locations throughout the City, including the Department of Parks and Recreation located at 500 Wilmington Avenue.

The internship application deadline is March 16, and participants will be notified via email as well as having their names published on the City website prior to the lottery drawing in May. Participants will be assigned a career mentor during the six- to eight-week program, and after successful completion will receive a letter of recommendation from their employer.

Those applying for an internship should also register for the lottery drawing to increase their chances of being selected for a job opening this summer in the event they are not selected for an internship. The lottery drawing will be held on Thursday, May 3, at 10 a.m. at the City’s Municipal Services Complex on Wilmington Avenue. The drawing will be recorded for later broadcast on Facebook, YouTube, and WITN – Comcast Channel 22. The names of the youths selected for jobs in this manner will also be posted on the City’s website.

Lottery-based entry-level jobs are available in diverse businesses and agencies throughout the community. Among them are the City of Wilmington, Blue Diamond Dental, R.E. Page and Associates, Southbridge Neighborhood House, Girls Inc., the YMCA, the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage, as well law offices, daycare centers, and other area employers.

The Parks and Recreation Department will hold a series of lottery intake sessions across the city beginning on Tuesday, April 17, and running through Saturday, April 28, 2018, to accept applications and assist youths and their families with the application process as well as answer any questions. A Department of Labor representative will also be on hand to assist applicants with work permit forms. All applications must be submitted during the intake sessions. The intake schedule is included at the end of this news release.

In addition to the City of Wilmington, Youth Career Development 2018 partners include Bank of America, the Delaware Department of Labor, and the Laffey-McHugh Foundation.