School is out, and more than 1,500 Mid-South teens will stay busy working this summer through Memphis’ MPLOY Youth Program.
Parents and teens met at the Cook Convention Center Saturday to learn about their summer employment assignments.
The teens were picked through a lottery. They will work in different job fields from city government to the private sector. Employers include some of the area’s biggest companies, St. Jude and FedEx.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said this year 250 more teens are participating.
The program teaches young people how to work, dress, and show up to the job on time.
“It means a lot. I met a lot of good people where I worked. I worked at ALSAC at St. Jude, and everybody that I worked with was very nice. Even the people in the program. They really care about you and they want you to not just work, but to also have fun. And it was a really, really good experience,” said participant Brianna Preastly.
The city’s goal is to have 2,000 summer jobs available in two years.
