SANDY, Utah — At Canyons School District, there are opportunities for students not only to find jobs but also to work at the district itself.
Students can apply to be a custodial sweeper or a grounds seasonal laborer. In each position, the students work to keep the school clean and help deep-clean it over the summer.
The district has anywhere from 350 to 500 kids hired during the school year to be custodial sweepers. They’re paid about $12 per hour to start. The students work for about 4-5 hours per day during the summer months, where they’ll learn about cleaning, job punctuality, and communication.
Joseph Marriott, the custodial assistant coordinator, said it’s a job that can teach so many life skills and get them ready for adulthood. “During the school year, it’s just regular cleaning, but during the summer, we have about 350 to 500 kids who help us do the majority of the cleaning through the district,” he said. “We have to deep clean within six weeks.”
As a seasonal grounds laborer, the students will learn how to use the big mowing equipment and make sure the outside area of the school is clean. The students will work 40 hours a week until school starts.
But for those between high school and college, they’ll work there until Halloween.
The students are paid about $15 per hour, Kelly Smolik, the grounds lead, said. “They’ll be working with a team and going out and maintaining the grass and flower beds around the schools,“ he said. “It’s a good first job to experience a trade and then you’ll see a sense of school pride.”
The school district is also hosting job fairs with other opportunities for jobs around the community. The district held a fair on Tuesday at Hillcrest High School with everything from photography jobs to culinary and military careers.
One of the students involved and pursuing a summer job is Jewell Asare. She’s a junior in high school and helped put together the fair at Hillcrest High School. “As students, we are having so many different ideas coming at us at such a young age I feel like having the resources and branch out at such young age is the foundation,” she said.
Asare said it's helpful to have a wide variety of different career paths to really give all the students different options that match their gifts and talents. Even though summer break is coming up, she said she is looking forward to getting a job during the summer.
“With college coming up soon and wanting to branch out a little bit more and have my own freedom and be my own person, I feel like looking for work is the strong decision to do,” she said.
There will be more job fairs throughout the next week at different high schools in the district, so staff are encouraging families and students to take advantage of these opportunities.
