Chambana Sun

The City initiated the 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) on July 1. Under this initiative, high school students from Champaign Unit 4 School District are placed with employer partners for a six-week, 105-hour paid work experience. Due to an unexpected structural change this year, students are not only placed but also officially hired by their respective employer partners. For the first time, students placed with the City are considered City employees.

Historically, the City has not hired employees under the age of 18. Consequently, staff from multiple departments collaborated to develop and implement a paid high school internship program while navigating legal and logistical complexities associated with hiring minors.

To date, SYEP has placed seven students within various departments including Equity and Engagement, Finance, Information Technologies, Police, Public Works Departments, and the City Manager’s Office.

On July 1, 2024, the Human Resources Department led by HR Specialists Steve Harms and Stacy Rachel held a new employee orientation attended by the students along with their assigned City supervisors and Unit 4 staff. City Manager Dorothy David provided welcoming remarks while Communications Manager Jeff Hamilton discussed appropriate social media use in the public sector. Subsequently, Systems Administrator Colleen Kilian conducted an IT orientation session followed by a public records management briefing from Records Specialist Rob Baker. The program is scheduled to run through August 9, 2024.