The trouble is, with the local business community not only scaling back on most of their operational costs, the competition to find stable summer jobs is getting tougher due to the fact there are more teens looking for jobs.
Eligible teens who applied for the Workforce Investment Agency summer program started work on Saipan, Rota and Tinian this past Monday saw little less elbow room when it came to jobs.
“This summer, the students who were eligible exceeded last year’s for all three islands (Saipan, Tinian, and Rota) combined by more than 60 percent,” said WIA Executive Edith Deleon Guerrero.
“I expect the numbers to continuously rise. The trend in school enrollments are telling of the increasing numbers in the CNMI’s youth population, thus, there is great urgency to focus on youth programs that are proven successes throughout the country,” she said.
632 youth applicants were granted summer jobs on Saipan alone, but only 420 were able to start work due to the funds available.
The remaining 212 would have to wait until funding is secured, which is available for approval, according to Deleon Guerrero.
On Tinian, 62 have been granted work and on Rota, the number also grew to 87 applicants.
“The competition for jobs is already tough, but it is going to get tougher next year as we will see more eligible applicants,” said Deleon Guerrero.
“The overall benefiting factor that the summer program provides besides earning is the opportunity for the qualifying CNMI youth to learn the necessary skills to make them become competitive in the employment market in all areas let it either be local, regional, and global markets,” she said.
“The idea is to prepare them early on and not wait until they are ready to exit high school. I truly believe that the sooner we invest in their education and training, the better prepared they will be when they enter the real business environment, thus my utmost support and dedication to communicate across all levels of the CNMI’s public and private partners to follow in the same passion in building a talented and competitive CNMI workforce,” she added.
Teens who have worked during the summer echo Deleon Guerrero’s sentiments.
“Besides earning money, I learned a lot from this job. There were so many aspects of this company that I love had never envisioned,” said Lei Rangamar, a returning intern at PTI and now a sophomore at the University of Hawaii.
“The marketing department I worked for allowed me not only expand my knowledge in that area, but also other areas as well. I was able to interact with the other departments and with other on and off island businesses. The job allowed me to save up for the upcoming school year, be it for pocket money or tuition. It also helped pay for some of the bills!” she said.
Summer jobs could also assist teens gain experience, even if it is not in the profession they will eventually choose.
“I really want to work abroad in a foreign embassy. Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to travel all over for diplomacy and get involved in peace negotiations or just give my services in a way that will help improve communications between countries,” said recent Mount Carmel high school graduate Letitia W. Cabrera.
Cabrera is currently working at Saipan Seaside Restaurant, where she also worked last year.
“I will work here until I leave for college. It’s a family business, but I do get paid. Working in a restaurant requires dedication, multitasking abilities, and of course, commitment. Not only does taking a summer job keep you busy, it also helps prepare you for the work field. You meet many different people and you get to work with other personalities,” she says.
Every year, WIA invests in providing workshops to the summer participants in areas such as work ethics, telephone etiquette, personal grooming, customer service, and basic financial literacy.
“I feel that by offering these workshops prior to placing them on the job, they will become better prepared when they reporter to work the first day. I believe in exposing the youth participants to the real business environment and expectations so that it does not come as a surprise to them when they report to work,” said Deleon Guerrero.
“This continuous investment by WIA are showing great results and employers are happy for they have noticed the changes in work attitudes,” said Deleon Guerrero.
“Remember, that we are here as adults already working and our role is to provide them as good role models with the eventuality, reality, and expectation that they are the future of the CNMI’s workforce. And it is our duty to ensure that we do our best and invest in preparing them to be successful and to lead in our community,” she said.
