Youth Employment Services (YES) Program

The Youth Employment Services (YES) Program is a paid first-job training program from the City of Santa Clarita for high school teens who live in Santa Clarita and have never held a job. The City has run YES since 1991. Teens are interviewed and hired by the City, then placed with one of more than 25 local partner businesses. Participants earn $18.23 an hour, which is minimum wage. Jobs include customer service, running a cash register, stocking shelves, merchandising, supervising children, and operating rides. Every participant must attend at least three skill-building sessions, and those who finish receive a certificate of completion. There are two 12-week sessions each year. The 2026 Spring/Summer session ran May 18 to August 7, 2026, with up to 20 hours of work a week. The Fall/Winter session runs November 23, 2026 to February 12, 2027, with up to 15 hours a week.

Applicants must be 16 to 19 and still in high school, and the summer session also accepts 15-year-olds. Applicants must live in Santa Clarita and have no previous work experience. The program focuses on teens who are low income (for example, on a modified school lunch program), considered high-risk, or have special needs (for example, an IEP). Past participants may not be able to take part again. Teens apply online, attend a Zoom information session and then schedule an interview. The City accepts only the first 55 applications.