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Youth Programs Information

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The following Youth programs are supported by WIA funds based upon the recommendation of the Career Center of Lowell  Youth Council: All teens 14-21 who may be interested in the following programs are required to visit the Career Center of Lowell to determine eligibility for participation BEFORE you can be accepted into these programs.  
 

Click here for eligibility requirements

Click here for GLWIB Youth Council Information
 

Career Center of Lowell Services for Youth

Any youth who has reached the age of 14 and is under 22 years of age (14-21) and wants to use Career Center services must apply for Career Center membership and attend a Workshop on how to use Center Services.  No one will be allowed admission to our Resource Room or use any of the Career Center equipment, telephone, copier, etc., or Youth Center unless we have verified this information.  In addition to the Introduction to Career Center Workshop, we also offer the following workshops for youth (pre-registration is required):

Ø      Dress for Success

Ø      Interviewing Techniques

Ø      Job Applications

Ø      Job Search 101

Ø      Resume Writing

The following Agencies are supported by Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds based upon the recommendation of the Greater Lowell Workforce Investment Board (GLWIB) Youth Council:  

Middlesex Community College Out of School Development Center

Merrimack Valley Catholic Charities

Greater Lowell Technical School-Job Preparation

Big Brother/Big Sister of Greater Lowell-ADAM Project

Justice Resource GRIP Project

Greater Lowell YWCA Project S.T.E.P.

Little Sprouts Child Enrichment Center

Lowell Association for the Blind
 

Programs

In simple language, the intent of all Career Center of Lowell Youth programs is to prepare youth to enter the workforce and stay in the workforce. Although each program supported by the CCL is different, all programs share a common purpose.  They exist in order to give youth the skills and support necessary to get the education and training to find a job and keep a job.

Some Career Center services are available to all youth, while some require that you meet certain eligibility guidelines.  (This is explained in the section on WIA eligibility.)  The programs identified on this website have received WIA funds based upon the recommendation of the Greater Lowell Workforce Investment Board Youth Council in response to a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process in June 2005.  This funding cycle is from July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006.

The Youth Council’s funding decisions are based upon the intent to bridge existing services between youth serving agencies, fill a gap in existing services and/or to strengthen and expand existing services for WIA eligible youth.  Programs are categorized by whether they serve youth who are still attending middle or secondary school (in-school) or out-of-school, meaning they have withdrawn from school prior to graduating from high school or have graduated from high school, yet need additional training and education to enter the workforce.  Website addresses have been listed for all of the WIA funded programs so that you may learn more about the services offered.

Click here for Program Information

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Shriver Job Corps

Job Corps is a national training and employment program administered by the US Department of Labor (DOL) to address the multiple barriers to employment faced by disadvantaged youth throughout the United States.

Job Corps was originally established by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and continues today forty years later under authorization in Title 1-C of the Workforce Investment Act.  The program offers economically disadvantaged young people ages 16 to 24 an opportunity to earn a high school diploma (or its equivalent), vocational instruction, and employment skills.  The program also offers career counseling and employment placement assistance, basic health and dental care, and driver's education.  Job Corps is primarily a residential program, offering participants room and board.  Annually, the program serves almost 70,000 youth at 118 Centers nationwide, and all of these students attend the program on a voluntary basis.

Locally, the Shriver Job Corps Center in Devens, MA has an enrollment capacity of 300 students, of which approximately 275 live on campus; the remaining students commute daily for instruction.  Serving these students are approximately 130 full and part-time staff, and the Center contributes greatly to the local economy in a variety of ways including the purchase of vast supplies from local vendors for everything from food for the student cafeteria, to gas for the vehicle fleet of 20 vehicles that Shriver has in operation.

Shriver offers basic vocational training to students in a variety of fields including; carpentry, cement masonry, painting, computer technology, health occupations (including CNA, phlebotomy, and medical technician), culinary arts, automotive repair, and business clerical services.  Students participating in basic training programs come from throughout New England, although the vast majority -- over 85% -- is from within a 25-mile radius of the Center.  Shriver also offers advanced training in two trades to students who have completed a basic vocational training program at any of the Job Corps Centers nationwide.

These trades are Sun Microsystems, and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU) program.  Sun students learn the intricacies of the UNIX operating system, while TCU students train for a career in the railway, airline, or trucking industries.

A Flexible Resource for Employers

Job Corps is a flexible program designed to meet the changing needs of local employers.  Job Corps Centers are required to have an Industry Advisory Council (IAC) recruited from the workforce development community that reviews local employer needs. Furthermore, each vocation has a steering committee comprised of area employers that review the curriculum and trade equipment used in the program. These groups help keep the Center connected to employers and relevant as a workforce training partner. Furthermore, Shriver Job Corps staff actively participate in the North Central Massachusetts, Greater Lowell, Worcester County, and Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Boards and their Youth Councils. 

As part of the Job Corps program trainees are encouraged to take part in off center work-based learning opportunities to put their trade skills into practice in the real world. Students are also encouraged to take part in job shadowing and community volunteer activities.

Contact Information:

John Marra-Youte
Business and Community Liaison
Shriver Job Corps Center
270 Jackson Road
Devens, MA 01434

Phone: (978) 784-2626
Fax: (978) 784-2721
 

Youthworks Job Fair

In collaboration with the Department of Education Connecting Activities Program, the City of Lowell Youth Services Department and Middlesex Community College, Career Pathways for Youth, the Career Center of Lowell sponsors a Job Fair every April in an effort to identify as many non-subsidized summer jobs for the community’s youth.  Announcements will be made to middle schools and high schools in Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Lowell, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro and Westford.

For further information or membership application please contact Cathy Sturtevant  e-mail
or call at (978) 459-2336
  

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