San Juan College Partners With YCC to Offer Paid Summer Jobs for Young Adults

San Juan College has partnered with the Youth Conservation Corps to offer paid summer employment to local residents ages 18 to 25, with positions beginning June 1 and wages ranging from $15.50 to $16.44 per hour.

The program runs eight-hour workdays through July 31, filling both crew member and team leader roles. Crew members earn $15.50 per hour while team leaders earn $16.44. What separates this from a typical seasonal job is the certification package built directly into the schedule: participants will complete training in First Aid and CPR/AED, belay and lead climbing, Leave No Trace principles, basic forklift and skid-steer operation, defensive driving, chainsaw basics, and financial literacy.

Work assignments will take participants across conservation projects, campus beautification efforts, and trail maintenance throughout San Juan County, producing visible improvements to college facilities and broader public infrastructure while generating verifiable on-the-job experience for each participant.

That combination of paid hours and nationally recognized credentials matters in a county where youth outmigration has long undercut the local workforce and structured summer job pathways for young adults are scarce. The certifications participants earn translate directly into hiring advantages for year-round positions in conservation, public works, the trades, recreation, and safety fields. Local employers, in turn, gain access to a pool of trained young workers who have already cleared baseline safety and skills requirements.

With June 1 approaching and the recruitment window closing, interested residents should move quickly. The San Juan College Center for Student Careers & Employment is accepting inquiries by phone at 505-566-3423 and by email at careercenter@sanjuancollege.edu.