Jobs on website for low-income teens more suited for college students

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A website created by the Obama administration aimed at helping low-income youth find work may not be leading them to employment.

When the Obama administration and the Department of Labor announced their Summer Jobs 2012 initiative in January to help low-income 16- to 24-year-olds, it was touted as a way for younger people to find jobs.

However, a search of the job bank shows that many of the positions, internships and companies listed don’t match well with teens looking for summer work. Instead, the jobs seem best suited for college students seeking specialized degrees.

Duke Energy said its internships are not for the Summer Jobs 2012 target audience. It would rather see applicants who are in college with a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Chiquita officials said they are still figuring out how the company’s internships in Charlotte will work.

And a Colorado engineering and architecture company that has Charlotte offices, Merrick, said its “long-standing internship program wouldn't necessarily fall into that category."

David Roberts, the spokesman for the Department of Labor, said the jobs bank is “a custom search tool that indexes more than a dozen online job sites featuring opportunities that have been specially tagged as being appropriate for those ages 16-24."

He added that the site also has a disclaimer that states it is not responsible if the job links are not accurate.

Roberts said he thought the website was serving its purpose, saying it’s a great starting point for Charlotte’s youth.

He added that the website also lists businesses and nonprofits that have promised to hire or train youth this summer.

There are also new openings listed every day on the website.

WSOC