Thanks to a pilot program by the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT), some 100 students in the Columbia Basin have jobs this summer at a time when summer employment is not easy to find.

CBT’s 2010 Summer Works Program is now fully subscribed which is pretty fast work for a program of its size considering planning for the program didn’t begin until March.

The summer-long program offers businesses and social enterprises (non profit groups) subsidies of up to $8-an-hour to hire students enrolled in post secondary training this fall. The program was open to students in the Columbia Basin in both the East and West Kootenays and can be used for post secondary training at colleges, universities, vocational schools and trade schools anywhere the students chose to be trained.

CBT Director of Communications Delphi Hoodicoff says the impetuous behind the program was the soft job market this summer and the difficulty many post secondary students were having in finding work. The program was also developed for Basin businesses that wanted to hire students but lacked the funding to do so.

“Students needed jobs and businesses needed a hand so we were able to help both by creating jobs for students and helping businesses develop new opportunities too.” CBT launched the program in March through advertisements in the media and letters sent to chambers of commerce throughout the Basin.

Businesses wanting subsidies to hire students were asked to contact CBT and promised they would receive an answer within two weeks. “I think the quick turn-a-round time really appealed to them,” says Hoodicoff. “What we wanted to do was respond in a way that was very flexible for them and help them to make a decision (to hire a student) as immediately as possible.”

The plan worked so well that when the pilot program is completed this fall it will be reviewed with the idea of possibly expanding it next year, says Hoodicoff.

“We’re very happy with how the program has gone and how it’s helping students to stay in the Basin . . . In the end what we hope is that students will come back to pursue their careers here and support the businesses and communities that have supported them.”

Of the 100 students that found employment through the program, 10 found jobs in Cranbrook, four in Kimberley, one in fort Steele and one in Moyie. Forty-one students in total found jobs somewhere in the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) even though not as many students as expected applied for jobs in RDEK communities, Hoodicoff says.

One of the students that found work was former College of the Rockies student Joy Friesen who is working as an assistant at the Kootenay Therapy Centre and headed to the University of Lethbridge this fall.

"The Summer Works Program has provided me with an employment opportunity that will help me develop practical business and people skills; skills that I could not necessarily learn in other entry-level jobs, and that will prove essential when I make it into my chosen career path," Friesen says. And, as a bonus she adds: "I'll be able to afford to eat next year at university too!"

Friesen's employer, Suzanne Thompson of the Kootenay Therapy Centre, says the program is helping her assess future full-time employment opportunities.

"Funding through the Summer Works Program has allowed us to hire a student through the summer to assist with creating patient education and business development materials," says Thompson. "In addition, we now have the opportunity to determine the needs of a potential new staffing position for the fall. None of this would be possible without the support of Columbia Basin Trust. Thanks!"

CBT President and CEO Neil Muth is also happy with the success of the summer jobs program.

"We are really pleased with the success the Summer Works Program has experienced," he says. "With our new Economic Initiatives Strategic Plan in place, CBT is committed to being responsive to the changing economic landscape. In this instance, we were able to quickly take action on a current market need to support local businesses and employ students."

Another benefit of the program is that students employed in it don’t just automatically get the provincial minimum wage of $8-an-hour, which is the lowest in Canada, says Hoodicoff.

Employers in the program pay normal market rates for their particular business, industry or non-profit group. As a result, most students are making $12 to $16-an-hour with not many getting the minimum wage, she says.

“We feel the program is helping communities and the region as a whole to figure out what needs to do in order to make the area thrive and prosper,” she says.

And, of course, the program is helping 100 students and 100 businesses in Basin communities in tough economic times when help was most needed.