TAMPA, Fla. — As Summer break approaches, Tampa Police Department and other community partners are working with Tampa teens to help them secure summer employment.

The program is called Shield Our Teens, and in its second year, Tampa Police has high hopes. 

Officer Charnele Baker helps at Jefferson High School, where she works with students to learn unique skills.  

She showed Sydney Hardeman how to iron a dress shirt. Hardeman admits it can be hard to get a job or be taken seriously at 16. 

“Especially if you are in high school, a lot of jobs, some places say they will hire a certain age, but I know at my current place, a good majority of our staff is 15 and 16-year-olds, so a lot of the times they also need adults there and they will pass over a lot of the teenagers,” said Hardeman. 

More than 100 students are signed up for the program. They will learn how to interview, build a resume and learn how to dress for an interview.  

The idea is that an employed kid is often a kid that is staying out of trouble. 

“Actually, violent crime involving a firearm and violent crime is down this year. What we are doing is working. We are just taking it to the next level,” said Lee Bercaw, Interim Tampa Police Chief.

Hardeman admits she knows kids that sometimes do get into trouble, especially when they don’t have something to do. 

“I think if they had a job, that might help them want to do better, so they could keep what they have going on,” said Hardeman. 

At the end of the program, these students will meet with potential employers and will hopefully walk away with a job. 

Then after a summer of work, many kids will also be offered scholarships. 

Along with Jefferson High School — Chamberlain, Middleton and Hillsborough High Schools also have students enrolled.