General Questions about Summer Jobs at Y.O.U.

Who can participate in the Y.O.U. Summer Youth Employment Program?

  • You must be a resident of Cuyahoga County.  

  • You must be between the ages of 14–18 and still attending high school at the time of applying.  

  • 14-year-olds must be rising 9th graders.  

  • You must be 14 before June 1st.  

  • If you are 14 or 15, you must provide a Work Permit from your school. 

  • If you are 18, (and attending High School) you must provide your current school year registration or current report card. 

  • If you are 18 and male, you must have registered for Selective Service. 

  • A parent/guardian will be required to meet program eligibility guidelines from one of our various funding sources before you can participate.  

  • Selected youth and their families must complete an online application, an intake appointment, orientation, and be present on the first day of work in order to be accepted into the program.  

    • Applicants who are selected will hear from Y.O.U. in April or May. If you do not hear by May 12th, you were not selected.  

    • Intake Appointments run from the end of April to end of May. 

      • Only parent/guardian must attend the Intake Appointment. 

      • Intake appointments are approximately 90-minutes long.  

    • Orientations will begin in early June. 

      • Only youth participants must attend Orientation.  

    • Orientation sessions are approximately 4-hours long. Work will generally begin June 16, unless otherwise noted before or on employment plans given out at Orientation.  

    • The majority of work sessions will begin on June 16 and will run for 6-weeks.  

      • There are some exceptions to the start date, end date, and length of the work session, and those exceptions will be noted before or at orientation 

    • If you will be turning 14 before June 1, you can still apply for SYEP.

    • If you turn 14 on or after June 1, you are not eligible for SYEP this year.

    • The rate of pay is $13.50 per hour for 20-25 hours per week. 

    • Youth will only be paid for the hours that are worked. We ask our employer partner worksites not to schedule youth participants on holidays. 

    • Some work assignments may require one or both. There is no cost to the student or family for a required background or drug test. Students and families will be informed if a background or drug test is required at orientation or before. 

    • The number of jobs depends upon available funding and on the employer partners who have registered to be worksites.

    • Y.O.U. works with hundreds of employers and worksites throughout the County each summer to host young people.

    • The most common summer jobs are within the career clusters of hospitality & tourism such as custodial, food service, and events or human services with positions like junior camp counselor, recreation aid and nonprofit support.

    • Most worksites are with non-profit organizations, cities, schools, and retail businesses in The Greater Cleveland area. 

    • Our worksites require basic entry-level skills. Examples of duties are clerical, light cleaning, painting, gardening, computer input, filing, and answering telephones.

    • To be considered for any job, you still must apply and complete the eligibility determination process.

    • However, registering does not guarantee you a job. There will be many more registrants than there are jobs.

How will I know whether or not I have a job?

Applicants must complete the following steps to have a job with Y.O.U. this summer: 

  1. Complete an online application available  https://www.youcle.org/syep . Selected applicants will be invited to an intake appointment. If you were not selected, you will not have a job with Y.O.U. 

  2. The applicant’s parent/guardian attends an intake appointment. If the applicant is approved for funding at this appointment, a position in the program will be reserved. 

    • If the parent/guardian does not attend an intake appointment by May 22nd, you will not have a job with Y.O.U. 

    • Details about Intake appointments can be found in your confirmation email or you may contact our call center at 216-776-3900. 

  3. The applicant attends an orientation and brings their required paperwork. 

    • Orientation dates are June 2 – June 11. If you do not attend an orientation, you will not have a job with Y.O.U. 

    • 14-15 year olds are required to bring their work permit. If you show up to orientation without a work permit, you will be sent home and you will not have a job with Y.O.U. 

    • 18-year old males are required to bring their selective service verification. If you show up to orientation without the verification, you will be sent home and you will not have a job with Y.O.U. 

  4. You are not officially hired by Y.O.U. until your report to your assigned worksite on your first day of work. 

Remember, each youth must successfully complete each of the following steps to be considered for the Summer Youth Employment Program:

  1. Apply online at https://www.youcle.org/syep

    • Meet the age and school requirements and live in Cuyahoga County

  2. Parent/Guardian completes an Intake Appointment and provide all necessary documents. 

    • A parent/guardian must attend the scheduled Intake appointment. Youth do not need to attend; 

    • Parent/guardian must provide and have approved all supporting documentation required by our funders during the application process 

    • Your household must be found eligible for an available funding source.  

    •   If your household exceeds the income eligibility limit, there may be additional funding available. Please note that these funds are limited.  

  3. Youth must attend a scheduled Orientation session in June. (Parent/guardian do not need to attend)

    • Present all supporting documentation for employment and tax paperwork 

    • If you do not bring documentation to complete I-9 Employment Verification you will be rescheduled.  

    • If under age 16 (by June 9th), you must present a Work Permit 

    • If 18 or 19 and a male, must present Selective Service verification 

  4. Receive Job Assignment

    • Until you receive and sign an Employment Plan from Y.O.U. that details your job assignment, you are not hired by Y.O.U.

  5. Report to 1st Day of Work

  • If you do not report to work on your first day and have not properly notified your site supervisor and your Job Coach, you are not hired by Y.O.U.

IT IS ONLY UPON THE COMPLETION OF THESE STEPS THAT YOU ARE FULLY ACCEPTED INTO THE Y.O.U. SUMMER JOBS PROGRAM AND CONSIDERED TO BE HIRED.

    • Yes. If there are more available youth than the number of available jobs or funding, your name will  go on a waiting list. 

    • As more jobs and/or funding become available, the waiting list youth will be randomly selected based on either the requirements of additional funding or on proximity to new worksites. 

    • Yes. The availability of additional jobs and/or funding often happens quickly. To ensure that you are ready for work at a moment’s notice, you must complete your scheduled orientation. 

How can I get more information?

  • If you have questions regarding our Summer Youth Employment Program or need assistance with registration, please contact the Call Center at 216-776-3900. Hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM