Preparing teens for working

As teens prepare to enter the workforce for the summer months, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development has planned a “Welcome to the Workforce” outreach initiative in April and May, aimed at students, parents and employers.

This effort to educate students, parents and employers, on their rights and responsibilities comes for April’s “Welcome to the Workforce Month,” with a proclamation marking key historical achievements in regulating child labor.

“Teen participation in the workforce helps businesses succeed and our economy thrive, while offering valuable life skills that are learned on the job,” said DWD secretary Amy Pechacek. “Teens’ early work experiences also helps put them on the path to successful careers.”

Wisconsin teens also play a critical role in the state’s economy, especially when it comes to Wisconsin’s leisure, hospitality and retail businesses. Wisconsin teens’ labor force participation rate for 16 to 19-year-olds, is 55.3 percent, more than 18 percent higher than the national average.

As part of the Welcome to the Workforce initiative, the DWD will host a webinar, 2-3 p.m., Tuesday, April 16, featuring representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Equal Rights and Youth Apprenticeship programs.

The event is free and open to the public, with registration at https://www.eventbrite. com/x/welcome-to-the-workforceworkforce- information-for-teens-parentsand- employers-tickets-862119942957.

Topics will include getting a job and securing a work permit, worker rights, employer responsibilities, career pathways and youth apprenticeship opportunities. The sessions also will touch on ensuring safety at work and keeping school a priority when classes are in session.

Minors who are 14 or 15 years old, must obtain a work permit after they have received an offer of employment and before they begin working. Work permits may be applied for online by parents and guardians.

Students of any age cannot work during school hours, unless they are youth apprentices participating in a school-based work training program. Teens who are 14 or 15 years old, may work up to three hours, each school day, and eight hours on weekends or days when school is not in session.

If these teens have more than one job, they still cannot exceed this maximum number of work hours. Shifts of six or more hours, require a 30-minute, dutyfree break.

State and federal laws also permit minors 12 or older, to work up to seven days, per week, in the delivery of newspapers, as caddies and in agriculture. In most other types of labor, minors under 16, may only work six days a week.

Work hours are mostly unrestricted for 16 and 17-year-olds, however they still cannot work during any hours, in which they are required to attend school.

Like younger students, they also should receive a 30-minute unpaid break during a shift lasting six hours or longer. To work after 11 p.m., this group needs eight hours between one shift ending and the start of another.