With a driver’s permit in hand and a desire to work, Amherst teenager Cady Bestor is confident that for part of the summer she’ll have a job, getting both experience in the workplace and money for spending or saving.

But with the school year ending in just a few weeks, Bestor, 16, doesn’t yet have a job lined up.

“I’ve been searching for work for a while but haven’t figured out how to apply and put myself out there,” Bestor said.

Bestor was among about a dozen teens who attended a recent panel discussion at the Amherst Survival Center in which representatives from Big Y Supermarket in Amherst, and a fellow high school student, offered tips about applying for jobs, completing resumes and having a successful interview.

Even with this sort of assistance, along with other workshops throughout the region and school guidance counselors, it can remain difficult for teenagers to find jobs, said Jim Parcells, director of planning and youth programs for the Franklin-Hampshire Career Center in Greenfield.

“Teenagers are still behind other age cohorts,” Parcells said. “Whenever there is a recession teens get left behind.”

Parcells said just 25 to 30 percent of teens are employed at any given time during the year, compared to 15 years ago, when about half of all teens had jobs. But this changed during the Great Recession of 2008, and has yet to fully rebound.

A report from the Commonwealth Corp., which puts together workforce programs in Massachusetts, gives hope for teen job hunters. That report states that “employment prospects for teens in Massachusetts for the summer months of 2017 are expected to be better than earlier years, particularly in the context of an overall low unemployment rate in the state and tightening labor market.”

Opportunities out there

Matt Rigney, youth and adult program coordinator for the Northampton-based Collaborative for Educational Services, said besides the economy, which has caused adults to snag some jobs once reserved for youth, teens have also been affected by changes in rules and regulations that prohibit their involvement.

Still, Rigney said there are opportunities for those who are motivated.

“Teens needs to hustle. If slots are not filled, they will be quickly,” Rigney said.

Some of the dedicated positions for teens come through the Northampton Mayor’s Summer YouthWorks program, and a similar program in Ware, both funded through the Commonwealth Corp. and administered by Community Action in Greenfield.

“In both cases for the summer, we are selecting 22 youth in Northampton and up to 35 youth in Ware and helping to find placements for those youth,” said Holly Kosisky, assistant director of youth programs for Community Action.

Those who submitted applications by June 2 will be interviewed and then selected, before completing an orientation and job readiness training prior to their July 5 starting date. Each teen will then work jobs between 15 and 40 hours per week, for a period of around six or seven weeks.

The experience alone will be beneficial. “Once they get their first job getting a second job is easier,” Parcells said.

But Parcells said these programs are insufficient to meet the demand, noting that other regions get funding for many more jobs. Springfield, for instance, has 460 slots, and Boston has 992 slots.

These jobs will include working alongside custodians in the Northampton schools, assisting employees at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and visiting nursing homes and elders through Meals on Wheels.

Parcells said work sites can be developed for teens in public or private workplaces, pointing out that the now closed Serio’s Market was a longtime participant. “They have to be jobs where there is work to do, and have a supervisor,” Parcells said.

Kosisky said Community Action is always seeking employers willing to participate.

The recent event at the Amherst Survival Center marked the third year that the organization has sponsored a job search panel, partnering with vocational services at Amherst Regional Public Schools. The panelists understand that part of their role in combating poverty is starting with teens, said Executive Director Mindy Domb.

Jeremy Brown, employee service representative for Big Y in Amherst, said his company is a good place to start. He began as a bagger in the early 1990s.

Advice for applicants

All applicants are prescreened, so the first step is to do a good job with that form. “Take your time, fill out all information accurately, put as much detail into it as you can,” Brown said.

Then, if called for an interview, be on time and “dress for success.”

“It’s a good indicator right away if they’re dressed up,” Brown said.

Because many will become cashiers, they need to be comfortable interacting with the public and making eye contact with people, Brown said.

Michelle Maiolo, who oversees the staff at Amherst’s Big Y, said 50 of the 75 front-end employees are high school students. She said looks for a firm handshake and confidence from youth, even if they are nervous.

“In a sense you’re interviewing us as much as we’re interviewing you,” Maiolo said.

One teen who has found employment is Jack Cole, a junior at the Pioneer Valley Charter Immersion School in Hadley.

Cole, who lives in Holyoke, has volunteered at a camp for special education children, an experience he put on his resume.

“It helped to form a pretty strong resume when I submitted it,” Cole said.

This work experience was a springboard to steady paid work as an intern in a life sciences laboratory this summer.

Parcells said federal money through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is used to put on job readiness classes and teach teens skills that with which they can survive in the workplace. The four core elements emphasized are dependability, communication, cooperation and initiative. After 15 to 20 hours, teens understand expectations and are prepared to work.

“That gives them a good ladder to future employment,” Parcells said. “Employers will see their work history and positive references.”

Kosisky said Community Action can help youth with job searches that gets them in the door of a job. But it also has collaborations with schools, including one called “Summer Jobs and Beyond” that is placing 60 youth in summer jobs in Ware, Orange and Turners Falls.

State initiative

Rigney points to the “New Skills for Youth” initiative promoted by Gov. Charlie Baker, which began with $100,000 and is getting an infusion of an additional $1 million that will incentivize school districts to integrate preparing kids for employment into curriculum.

Bestor is one who will be able to drive herself to her job, wherever it is, but Parcells said transportation is a particular challenge in rural areas. In fact, Kosisky said the lack of transportation is one of the primary barriers to getting a job.

“In rural areas we definitely find youth that say they have tried and applied all over, and haven’t been successful,” Kosisky said.

But Rigney said there are ways for even those who live from the main centers of commerce to work, including many home-based businesses, cottage industries and farms, and that there are opportunities to start their own business, whether mowing lawns or washing windows.

Speaking to friends who are already working, as well as parents of these friends, may also yield possible jobs.

“The best skill to have in pursuing and getting a job is persistence,” Rigney said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.

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