LOS ANGELES (June 8, 2017) – The Board of Water and Power Commissioners Tuesday approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) authorizing continuation of the Youth Service Academy (YSA), a program designed to train at-risk Los Angeles youth for careers in the City’s Civil Service Sector.
The unanimous vote allowed the program to be extended for one year beginning July 1, 2017 with an option to extend year-to-year for an additional two years.
Under this program, up to 30 students ages 16-20 work in paid positions in various Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) offices and facilities, learning job related skills and information about careers with the utility and the city of Los Angeles.
“We are pleased to continue this longstanding successful partnership with LAUSD that began in 1990 and has helped train more than 3,000 at-risk student graduates from the program,” LADWP General Manager David H. Wright said. “YSA plays an important role in enhancing our future workforce. An effective workforce is essential to our utility’s and our city’s future success.”
Program elements include classroom instruction, one-on-one mentoring, training regarding required job requirements and tasks, and orientation to the Los Angeles City civil service system.
LAUSD’s Work Experience Education Office will administer the YSA program with services including selecting participants, providing pre-employment counseling and training. The office will also train LADWP employees to serve as mentors to student program participants.
The approved MOU authorizes payment to LAUSD of $91,500 annually for a part-time teacher and a community representative, both of whom will administer the program. In addition, participating students are paid $12.52 per hour as LADWP student employee workers at an annual cost of $312,500. Total annual cost of the program will not exceed $405,000.
In addition to voting to extend the YSA program, the Board of Water and Power commissioners directed staff to provide a report in a month on the progress of specific plans covering recruitment, student tracking and new outreach efforts in order to increase participation throughout the City.
Youth Service Academy is one of several longstanding LADWP Education Programs that include the Science Bowl, high school academic competition, Adopt-A-School Program, with employee volunteers assisting specific schools, distribution of electric safety and basic electricity program materials to elementary schools, an interactive electric safety and science website section called eSMARTkids, Los Angeles Times in Education Program with an art poster contest, and intensive teacher workshop sessions with lessons, activities and class environmental stewardship projects.
LADWP is the nation’s largest city-owned electric and water utility serving 1.5 million electric customers and 680,000 water customers. LADWP has provided utility services for more than a century and education programs for more than 40 years.
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