Giles County Summer Youth Work Program – SYWP
In 2025, the Giles County Summer Youth Work Program (SYWP) celebrated year number thirteen of this highly successful emerging workforce initiative. To date, almost four hundred Giles students have benefitted from SYWP. Opportunities available range from technology, agriculture, health care, engineering, child care, fast food, construction, landscaping, to whatever is appropriate for each applicant. Students, from the age of sixteen through the year of their high school graduation are eligible to apply. Participants are paid the prevailing Virginia minimum wage and allowed up to a total of one hundred ninety-two work hours; generally realized in 6 to 8 weeks. The usual beginning date is the Monday after school is over. The Giles County business community is. and, has been, highly supportive of this initiative to grow a talented Giles Workforce.
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Finding and keeping a job is a key step in a young person’s transition to adulthood and economic self-sufficiency. Employment not only allows young people to cover expenses for themselves and their families. It also provides valuable opportunities for them to apply academic skills and learn occupation-specific as well as general “world of work” skills; such as teamwork, time management, problem-solving, etc. Teen employment (16-19 years) is directly associated with improved employment and earnings later in life as well as myriad other indicators of adult success.
The application process begins in the schools in early March. This opportunity is available to public, private and home-schooled students up through the summer after they have graduated. Each interested student should pick up an application form at their school, fill it out and submit it back to the guidance office. In mid-April, applicants will be advised of their interview date. Interviews are arranged for each student and conducted by a panel consisting of the Giles School’s Career Counselor, Giles County SYWP Manager and People Inc. staff. Based upon the results of the interviews and further consideration, each student is then suggested to a specific worksite for placement. They are provided the contact information for their worksite supervisor and his/her contact information.
In every case, great effort is made to place students in a setting that best matches their interests and aptitudes, personal needs and future plans. Each student is required to meet with their worksite supervisor prior to the program start date in order to better understand the work requirement, to learn whether the placement is a logical fit for both parties and establish their schedule.
The time sheets and payroll are handled by People, Inc. They also provide liability insurance for the participants. Additionally, People, Inc. employs staff who are in consistent contact between the SYWP Manager, assigned worker, and the worksite. During the program period, People, Inc. bill the county and the worksites, on a monthly basis, for their ½ share each of the worker’s paid incentive.
At the end of the six weeks, a Work Readiness Evaluation is completed by the worksite supervisor. This quantifies the workers performance and provides a valuable reference for the worker. Additionally, in September of the next school year, this document is also reviewed by the SYWP Program Manager and the Giles School Career Counselor in order to better assist them in understanding how their students performed, be made aware of any issues that may have arisen and to provide insight into how they may utilize these findings to enhance student success in the school setting.
