Summer hire hits Heidelberg

By Zoe H. ToddJuly 29, 2009

Summer hire hits Heidelberg
HEIDELBERG, Germany -- (left to right) Julian McCaster, Dominique Tolbert, Dennis Cardona and Brandi Lewis pull weeds on Patton Barracks as part of their summer hire job. The summer hire program runs for six weeks and is designed for youth wanting to... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

HEIDELBERG, Germany -- A sadistic alarm goes off at 6 a.m. - 6 a.m. on a Monday, a Monday in July - in other words, somebody has been torn from blissful slumber during their summer holidays - a crime on any watch.

Days start early for Jonathan Ochart, a summer hire employee at the Equal Employment Opportunity office on Patton Barracks.

By 8 a.m. he's at his desk, busy with files, phone calls and paper work. Four hours later a break is put in for lunch and perhaps a quick spell at the gym.

Noon to 1 p.m. - one hour, no more and no less - then it's back to work.

At 17, Ochart is one of 168 summer hire students in Heidelberg, Mannheim, Schwetzingen and Seckenheim. It's a six-week program, up to eight hours a day, 40 hours a week at a minimal wage.

Who in their right mind does this to themselves when a perfectly relaxed holiday calls and beckons lazily from the couch' Forget summer vacation - hello job applications.

Stereotypically, high school students are supposed to be lethargic, lacking in enthusiasm and more than 25 percent asleep, 50 percent of the time.

This, after all, is the summer of '09 - these are the best days of their lives.

But even the wisdom of Bryan Adams was not enough to prevent an army of ambitious teens from applying, many of whom were sent home disappointed.

"I have a younger brother, but he didn't get a job because they ran out ... over here in Heidelberg," said 17-year-old Brandi Lewis, who also works on Patton Barracks.

As a clerical worker Ochart may even be considered lucky with his predicament - he has the "fun job." His previous employment was spent as a labor worker for the Directorate of Public Works "picking up bricks and stacking them."

"I like it, it's better than nothing," said Ochart about his current position. "Better than labor for sure."

Many of the positions are similar to Ochart's previous experience.

"They want to do office work'" said Patton Barracks' Installation Coordinator Peter Wilson. "I have no office work. I'm straight labor."

Wilson, who works for the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security Heidelberg is in charge of six teenage labor workers.

Anyone who has recently visited Patton Barracks is hard put to miss the orange-safety-vest-clad youths - or the positive effects they have had on the facility pulling weeds, fixing signs, picking up litter or painting barriers. And for those who may have wondered, these are not young criminal master-minds in penitence for their crimes, but merely ambitious and engaged youths looking for a little cash and work experience.

"This is not a job for somebody who wants to sit around and be lazy," Lewis said. "It's for somebody who wants to do the work - make something look better than it does."

The students do have to work hard at their jobs, but there's no rule that says they can't have fun doing it.

"We have a group of goofballs that do work," Lewis joked. "We're constantly laughing."

The summer hire program is becoming increasingly popular with teens, this year 220 students applied in the local district alone, the acceptance rate being just over 75 percent, according to Stephanie Hazel, the summer hire coordinator.

Application is open to anyone from 14-22 years of age, although older candidates are prioritized as a job may have greater impact on potential career-paths and college applications.

"It's a good program," Wilson said. "They earn a little bit of money, it teaches them how to handle finances ... they're going to have to start saving for college."

Students also gain experience in their respective working fields and flourish as young adults.

"It helps me grow in the professional world instead of just school," Ochart said, adding that he has also learned how to communicate with adults, an age-old issue for adolescents. "These are people who have gone to college, so I can ask them for advice."

However, not only employees are on the winning side with this program.

"Well, I requested a summer hire and I got one - Jonathan," said EEO Officer Bonnie Ballard. "And we love him."

With an hourly wage of $5.50, this is also a money-saving and affordable project for the community to support, according to Wilson.

"With downsizes I think it's very helpful," said Ballard about the summer hire. "I would like to see the program expanded ... not just for the summer, but the whole year round."

At the end of a long day, students go home tired but satisfied.

"If the people in the office find it useful ... then it's easier for them to do their jobs," Ochart said. "It's easier for the whole community."

And his help is most definitely appreciated.

"I've got to say, I want to keep Jonathan," Ballard said. "I have no complaints - no complaints."

So next time you pick up the phone and hear a young voice "Good afternoon, this is Jonathan Ochart speaking, how may I help you'" or you happen to be passing by a pack of teens in neon-orange vests, stop to thank them for the time, work and dedication they have put into the community.

(Editor's Note: Zoe H. Todd is an intern for the USAG Baden-Wuerttemberg newspaper, the Herald Post).