PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Regional Employment Board Inc.'s Youth Council has selected six program operators through a competitive bidding process to implement youth programs for the summer of 2009.

Some $118,267 received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be distributed to provide services to more than 70 youth throughout this summer and fall.

Contracts have been awarded to the following organizations to provide quality work experiences to in-school and/or out-of-school eligible youth:
 
Adams Youth Center, Inc.: $17,287 to serve 10 in-school youth

Corporation for Public Management: $16,569 to serve eight out-of-school youth

Hillcrest Educational Centers: $7,290 to serve eight in-school youth

Lenox Public Schools: $18,348 to serve 12 in-school youth

North Adams Public Schools: $27,773 to serve 20 in-school youth

South Berkshire Educational Collaborative: $31,000 to serve 12 in-school youth
 
The Berkshire ARRA youth employment program is for youth ages 14 to 24 who meet Workforce Investment Act and stimulus funding eligibility. Funds from this program are used to subsidize summer employment costs for youth in Berkshire County.
 
One of the most substantial ways that work experience benefits individuals is by providing exposure to learning opportunities that assist in the development of work readiness skills. These skills are critical in helping the young person succeed in future employment opportunities. These include skills such as critical thinking/problem solving, oral communication, written communication, teamwork/collaboration, diversity, information technology application, creativity/innovation, lifelong learning/self-direction, professionalism/work ethic, and ethics/social responsibility.
 
Two programs began on June 29 and the remainder started on July 6 or 13 and will run between four and six weeks in duration and participants work an average of 100 hours total.
 
In many cases, this is the young person’s first work-experience and the goal is to provide a quality, learning-rich environment for youth to explore all aspects of a particular industry, and to help them formulate career goals. Combined with the year-round school-to-work initiative, these programs can create a solid system that helps young people to succeed and learn about the world of work.