COYOTE program offers job training, placement

This particular morning, as Tina Malecki struggles to give a haircut to a shivering, squirming Schnauzer named Lacie, she probably doesn't feel like a success story.

But the very fact that the 19-year-old is employed and doing the kind of work she wants to do makes her the ideal poster child COYOTE, the job training and employment program that helped her get here.

COYOTE, short for Coalition Youth Team, provides job training and placement to Mohave County teens and young adults who want to work. The program, which serves ages 14 to 21, was originally intended to assist low-income youth but has been expanded to allow all income levels as long as sponsoring employers are available.

The six-week COYOTE summer work program matches willing workers who are still in school with job sites around the city. The county pays the young workers in the form of a learning stipend while the employer provides training and mentoring. How much the youth gets paid is based on performance factors such as showing up on time and neatness of appearance.

In addition to work-place experience, COYOTEs get work-readiness training and assistance with their work wardrobe. COYOTE program staff also will help them get their GED if they've dropped out of school.

“We're very interested in making sure they get through high school,” said Kathy Yager, COYOTE program representative. “I've had a couple drop out and we have to look at alternatives and say, ‘OK, how are we going to get them through.'”

COYOTE also provides year-round employment development for people like Tina Malecki, who arrived at the offices Mohave County Community & Economic Development less than nine months ago looking for help.

“She had just graduated from high school and had never been employed before,” Yager said. “She was also extremely shy.”

Yager worked with Malecki and found out that she wanted to be a dog groomer. Then Yager got in touch with Michelle Compomizzi at Bow Wow Pet Clips.

“Kathy contacted us regarding Tina and at the time, we didn't have any help so we figured, what the heck,” Compomizzi said.

Compomizzi agreed to mentor Malecki while the program paid the cost of her training. Malecki started out shampooing dogs and went from there, Yager said, learning the ins and outs of grooming different breeds.

“It's harder than I thought (it would be), but it's easy, both,” Malecki said. “Now, it's getting easier.”

“The good thing about Tina is, she loves animals,” Compomizzi said. “You have to love animals, but you can't wear your heart on you sleeve.”

Now Malecki is employed by the shop, getting paid for each dog she grooms and helping out in any way she can the rest of the time, Compomizzi said.

“It's good for businesses as long as the businesses that are mentoring the kids are teaching them good work ethics,” she said. “It's a lot of hard work on the kids and the employers' part, but if they're willing to stick it out, it's worth it.”

MCCED is currently accepting applications for the COYOTE summer work program and is also looking for employers to sponsor young workers. The more employers who are willing to act as mentors, the more youth MCCED will be able to employ, Yager said.

For more information, contact Mohave County Community & Economic Development at 453-0710.

You may contact the reporter at dparker@havasunews.com.