Escambia County Youth Employment Program Helps Prepare Future Workforce

Escambia County recently completed another cycle of the Summer Youth Employment Program, helping nearly 200 local youth gain valuable on-the-job experience while working toward their future career goals.

Through the paid internship program, participating youth worked up to 30 hours per week in various county departments, learning a variety of practical job skills along with workplace etiquette such as professional dress, timeliness and respect.

“Our Summer Youth Employment Program is one of the most important programs we offer at Escambia County, because it gives young people an opportunity to experience a professional workplace while helping them determine what career path they may want to pursue,” District 3 Commissioner Lumon May said. “The mentorship and job experience they gain from this program is invaluable, and I’m so proud of all of our participants for their hard work and dedication all summer long. I know their futures are very bright, and I’m excited to see the impact they will make in our community and beyond.”

In addition to learning new skills through their day-to-day work duties, program participants received job readiness training and post-employment briefings, which provided them feedback about their job performance. Youth worked in a variety of county departments this summer, including Animal Welfare, Building Services, Community and Media Relations, Development Services, District 3 County Commissioners Office, Engineering/Traffic, Extension Services, Facilities Management, IT, Library Services, Escambia County Area Transit, Natural Resources Management, Neighborhood and Human Services, Parks and Recreation and Public Safety. Summer youth employees also participated in internships with Community Action Program Committee, Community Health Northwest Florida, Escambia County Public Schools and the Supervisor of Elections Office through the program.

Kayla Harmon, who spent the summer interning in District 3 Commissioner Lumon May's office, said the Summer Youth Employment Program is important because it helps students like her acquire new skills and experience different departments in the county.

“I think that’s really motivating for students who might not be exposed to professional career paths in their daily lives,” Harmon said. “And I just think that this program is important just to develop yourself personally, academically and professionally.”

County Administration Intern A'mari Young said the program has helped her learn a lot about workplace etiquette and what it’s like to work in an office setting, while also giving her experience with public meetings. Young said one of her favorite parts of the summer internship was being able to help facilitate meetings of county boards and committees, by conducting roll call and assisting with calling for votes.

As a 20-year-old college student, Young said she wasn’t sure what career path she wanted to pursue when she enrolled at Pensacola State College.

“That’s kind of why I went, to kind of figure out what job, what career path I want to go down,” Young said. “When you have an internship program like this, especially for the youth, it lets them kind of see what career paths are better for them, kind of go down a path. And it’s only for six weeks, so if you don’t like it, you’re not tied down to it, but if you do, it’s a lot of new open doors that you’re opening for yourself.”

For Parks and Recreation Intern Allen Bridgers, his summer workdays started early at 5:30 a.m., typically working on striping one of the county’s athletic fields or cutting grass with his fellow intern Khalil James. Bridgers said he likes that the program gives youth a chance to see potential job opportunities in the county.

“It also gives kids a time outside of school to learn and grow in their leadership and other abilities,” Bridgers said.

Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes said both Bridgers and James have been a great asset to the county this summer.

“We were very fortunate to have two incredibly hardworking interns who helped our department tremendously during a very busy time of year for Parks and Recreation,” Rhodes said. “This program is a great opportunity for local youth to get hands-on experience in county departments, and we’re excited to wrap up another successful summer in Parks and Recreation.”  

Code Enforcement Intern Lamaria Brown said she didn’t know much about Code Enforcement operations at the beginning of the summer, but now she’s gained significant knowledge and experience through sitting in on hearings, completing data entry, and even using the radio to communicate with officers in the field.

“Everyone was so welcoming and so nice, so they made the experience just 10 times better,” Brown said. “At first I wasn’t very much interested in it, I never really thought about it, really. But being here, I could see myself doing something like this in the future as a career.”

One success story from a previous cycle of the Summer Youth Employment Program is Maekayla Emerson, who interned with Information Technology in 2017. Emerson was hired as a contract employee for the county in 2022 before starting full-time in 2023 as an Environmental Technician with Escambia County's Natural Resources Management Department, where she has excelled working as part of the county's field sampling team. 

Escambia County's 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program participants were recognized by District 3 Commissioner Lumon May and Neighborhood and Human Services staff for their hard work this summer during a ceremony Thursday, July 25 at the Brownsville Community Center.

Information about future cycles of the Escambia County Youth Employment Program will be posted at MyEscambia.com/youthemployment and on the Escambia County Facebook page. 

To watch a video highlighting several Summer Youth Employment Program participants, visit the county's YouTube channel.

District 3 Commissioner Lumon May speaks to interns at the 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program ceremony Thursday, July 25 at Brownsville Community Center.

District 3 Intern Kayla Harmon speaks about her experience with the Escambia County Summer Youth Employment Program at a recognition ceremony Thursday, July 25 at Brownsville Community Center. 

County Administrator Wes Moreno speaks to interns at the 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program ceremony Thursday, July 25 at Brownsville Community Center.

County Administration Intern A'mari Young conducts roll call for the Tourist Development Council meeting during her summer internship with the county.

Code Enforcement Intern Lamaria Brown uses the radio to communicate with officers in the field during her summer internship with the county.

Code Enforcement Intern Lamaria Brown receives direction from her supervisor, Environmental Enforcement Services Coordinator Chinnia Moore.

Parks and Recreation Intern Khalil James stripes one of the county's soccer fields during his summer internship with the county.

Parks and Recreation Intern Allen Bridgers works on one of the county's baseball fields during his summer internship with the county.