NOVA's Summer Youth Employment Program provides teenagers and young adults with an opportunity to experience the world-of-work, explore potential careers, and gain essential work readiness and life skills.

Through the guidance of a career advisor, all participants attend a series of work-readiness skills workshops and are placed at a local business or nonprofit organization for a work experience opportunity. Youth who actively participate can earn up to $2,000 over the course of the summer.

The program serves economically disadvantaged individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 who reside within northern Santa Clara County. Funding for the 2010 program was provided by Santa Clara County's Emergency Contingency Funds and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This year's program was a huge success with NOVA serving 180 youth with an extraordinarily high rate of success.