Ecology Youth Corps - Regional Information

Washington State Department of Ecology

Regional Information -
Northwest Region (NWRO)

The Department of Ecology in the Northwest Regional Office (NWRO) anticipates hiring 72 youth to staff 12 Ecology Youth Corps (EYC) road crews for Summer 2012. Each crew is comprised of one supervisor and 6 youth.

WHERE: EYC will operate youth crews in the following areas in summer 2012 (subject to final Legislative authorization)

Whatcom County - 2 crews
Skagit County - 1 crew
Snohomish County - 2 crews
North King County - 1 crew (including Seattle north of Interstate-90)
East King County - 1 crew
South King County - 5 crews (including Seattle south of Interstate-90)

WHEN: Those hired will work one of two sessions:

First Session: June 28 - July 25, 2012
OR
Second Session: July 26 - August 21, 2012

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY
Applicants must

Be between 14-17 years old by first day of employment and provide proof of age
Be eligible to work in the United States
Have a Social Security card and photo identification
Submit a complete application (Part 1) and a complete reference forms (Part 2), by the deadline (only one reference form is required, an applicant may submit multiple references)

If hired:

You will earn $9.04 per hour.
You will work 7.5 hours a day, 37.5 hours per week, 7:00 am to 2:30 pm, Monday thru Friday
You will get two paid 15-minute breaks per day.
You will get one paid 30-minute lunch break.
You will be insured by Labor and Industries for work related injuries
You will not receive medical benefits, paid holiday, sick, or vacation time
You will be expected to work for the entire 4-week session
no vacations, camps, or other activities should be scheduled that would cause you to miss even one day of your 4-week work period.
July 4 is a State Holiday and not a work day for EYC
You are responsible for your daily transportation to and from the crew meeting location, which will be chosen with parental/guardian input at a hiring meeting, AFTER the crew is selected. The supervisor will transport the crew to and from this meeting point to and from the job site and will remain with the crew throughout the day. Crew members are encouraged to bring their own healthy snacks and lunch each day.
Crew members are trained in proper safety procedures. Ecology provides gloves, hard hats, safety vests, protective eyewear, and EYC Program T-shirts, which must be worn at work. Ecology also furnishes all crew deployment equipment and safety attire EXCEPT footwear. Crew members are responsible for providing and wearing a pair of sturdy, hard-soled, over-the-ankle leather-typed work boots and supplying their own rain gear.

As an Ecology Youth Corps Crew Member, you will be working alongside freeways and highways, as well as parks and other public access points. In addition to picking up litter, you will be sorting out many of the recyclable materials (aluminum cans, glass, scrap metal, etc.) that you collect. Your crew will take them to a recycling center. In 2011 EYC crews recycled almost 200,000 pounds of material!!!

You will also be learning a great deal about the environment and keeping it clean and healthy. Most people find this to be a challenging but highly rewarding job.

NOTE: Only applicants available to work for a full 4-week session will be considered for summer employment.

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE JOB

Online application and links to hard copy application and reference form will not be available until after February 1, 2012. Please check back on our website on or after February 1, 2012 in order to apply for summer 2012 job.

Applications will ONLY be accepted from February 1, 2012 until April 10, 2012. Only applications that include an EYC Application AND an EYC Reference Form will be considered for an interview.

Faxed applications will not be accepted in 2012, nor will applications received after April 10, 2012.

There are three ways to apply for EYC positions in NWRO for summer 2012:

Online - Recommended and Preferred Method
Download PDF Application and Reference Form
Some school counselor offices or career centers may have paper copies of the applications, though many may only have information sheets about the job with instructions for applying online. Please check with them.

The online job application process has two parts:

Part 1 is the on-line application
Part 2 contains the reference form that a teacher, counselor, school administrator, or coach must complete. NOTE: you may submit more than one reference form.

If you choose to not apply online you can print out the application and reference forms by clicking on the following links (Adobe Reader Required)

Application Form

Reference Form

DEADLINE

APRIL 10, 2012!! This is a received by deadline. Faxed applications are not accepted.

Please plan ahead to avoid missing the deadline.

NOTE FOR APPLICANTS: You must allow enough time for teachers to complete your reference form and return it to you, and then time for you to mail them to our office so they are received no later than the April 10, 2012 deadline.

Once you have completed the application and have the reference form filled by a teacher, counselor, administrator or coach, mail both completed forms together IN THE SAME ENVELOPE, to:

Ecology Youth Corps
Attn: Linda Harris
3190 160th Ave SE
Bellevue WA 98008-5452

Contacts Information:
After reviewing the information above, if you still have questions, please contact:

Linda Harris
Section Secretary
Department of Ecology
Northwest Regional Office
3190 160th Avenue SE
Bellevue, WA 98008-5452
Phone: 425-649-7029
Email: linda.harris@ecy.wa.gov

Steven Williams
Regional Litter Administrator
Department of Ecology
Northwest Regional Office
3190 160th Avenue SE
Bellevue, WA 98008-5452
Phone: 425-649-7048
Email: steven.williams@ecy.wa.gov

The State of Washington provides equal opportunity of employment, services, and facilities. If you have special accommodation needs, please contact the Ecology Employee Services Office at 360-407-6186 or at 360-407-6206

Training and environmental education

All EYC employees receive training before working on the road:

Supervisors complete an intensive week which includes first aid/CPR, safety equipment deployment , hazards recognition, defensive driving, disaster preparedness, personnel policies, and environmental education.
Youth spend their first day on the job at an all-day safety and team training in the park adjacent to our regional office in Bellevue.

Some environmentally-related tours and education are also part of the crew session. At the end of their work experience most EYCers report it was a hard job, but very rewarding and a lot of fun.

Median Crews

The Department of Ecology's NWRO will staff two median crews. One crew will be based in King County and the other in Whatcom County. We will be hiring young adults over aged 18+ to staff median crews. You may apply for these positions at any time during 2012 and your application will be kept on file should there be openings. The position will last 3 to 9 months.

If hired you will earn $11.00 per hour and work 40-hour weeks. Most teams opt for four ten-hour days - Monday through Thursday.

Median crew applicants must:

Be 18 years old by the time they apply and provide proof of age.
Be eligible to work in the United States.
Demonstrate good safety awareness.
Be willing to work outside all day doing physical labor, sometimes in uncomfortable weather conditions.
Have a Social Security card and photo identification.
Submit an EYC Median Crew Application Form.

Completed median crew applications should be sent to:

Ecology Youth Corps
Attn: Steven Williams
3190 160th Ave SE
Bellevue WA 98008-5452

Summer Supervisor Job Opportunities

Currently we anticipate 2012 summer supervisor opportunities in the following counties:

Skagit/North Snohomish County - One opening (may be filled by incumbent)
North King/South Snohomish County - One opening
King County - One to three openings

Duration: 4 Months (2 months part time, 2 months full time). Part time work in late-April and May - about 5 to 7 hours weekly. This part time work is in the evenings and involves setting up interviews, conducting interviews, and hiring your summer youth crew members.

Full time work starts June 25 and continues through August 22, 2012 - 40 hours per week, 7am to 3pm, Monday-Friday. The position is overtime eligible. Accommodations can be made for teachers or other school officials hired that may not be able to work until August 22. There may potential for work beyond August 22.

Wage: $13.94 to $16.78 per hour, depending on experience.

Union Security: This position is covered by a union shop provision. Therefore, as a condition of employment, candidates who are appointed are required to become members of the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) and pay dues or as a non-member pay agency shop fee, non-association fee or a representation fee. The union shop provision shall be effective no later than the 30th day following the effective date of the appointment.

If interested in a temporary or seasonal job doing independent and challenging outdoor supervision of youth, please email a resume and letter explaining your qualifications to steven.williams@ecy.wa.gov. For consideration for summer employment as a Youth Supervisor, please apply by April 15, 2012.

Seasonal Supervisor Opening

Updated January 2012 - both the King County and Whatcom County seasonal supervisor positions are expected to be filled by incumbents. However, here is more information about the positions if you would like to submit an application should a position become available.

Duration: 9 months, March 1 through November 30, 2012

This is a full-time 40-hour a week position, 10 hours per day, Monday through Thursday. The position includes a full range of state benefits, including medical and dental coverage, paid leave (vacation, sick, holiday), and retirement contributions.

Wage: $2,482 to $2,920 per month, depending on experience. The position is overtime eligible.

If interested in a temporary or seasonal job doing independent and challenging outdoor supervision, please email a resume and letter explaining your qualifications to steven.williams@ecy.wa.gov. For consideration for seasonal employment as a Seasonal Crew Supervisor please apply by February 16, 2012.

The State of Washington provides Equal Opportunity for employment, services, and facilities. If you have special accommodation needs, please contact the Ecology Employee Services Office at 360-407-6186. For TTY for the hearing impaired, contact the Washington State Relay Operator/Service at 711 or 1-800-833-6388.

For further information about supervisor opening, please contact the Regional Litter Administrator at 425-649-7048 or steven.williams@ecy.wa.gov.

For more information please contact Steven Williams.