Benedict College student Sierra Young came home this summer only to discover the harsh reality facing many Americans these days: it's tough to find a job.

"I filled out applications around Bamberg and Denmark but nobody was hiring," Young said.

Young, however, persisted in her quest to land that elusive summer job. That led to the Bamberg County Library, where she finally saw a ray of light in the form of a flyer.

The broadcast journalism major picked up the flyer advertising the Lower Savannah One Stop Workforce System. The summer program sought to get jobs for low-income high school and college students who lacked significant work experience.

The program was sponsored by the Lower Savannah Council of Governments, Voorhees College and Denmark Technical College. In all, the program paired students with jobs in six local counties.

Young was hired by Singleton Printing Company in Bamberg after enrolling in the program, which was funded through federal stimulus dollars. She went through an orientation and work readiness workshop before starting at Singleton.

Young said she learned a wide array of things about the publishing industry.

Now back at Benedict, Young will take a digital imaging class this semester. The class will require her to use an Apple Macintosh computer. Prior to landing the summer job, Young had never touched a Mac.

"It will kind of put me a little ahead of the game," she said.

Young's employment at Singleton Printing was mutually beneficial for owner Betty Singleton.

"She worked out great for me. She was exactly what I was looking for," she said.

The young workers were compensated with federal stimulus funds, which Singleton said was another plus for her business.

"The reason I feel it was successful was that we were able to give over 120 students employment experience," said Vanessa Brown, a program specialist at Voorhees.

Brown said some students received permanent jobs while others were able to put money toward buying things like a car.

About 45 businesses in Bamberg and Allendale counties participated in the program, she said.

Jasmine Ebron, Denmark Tech student and aspiring lawyer, worked at Denmark City Hall as an office assistant this summer.

"It opened a lot of doors for people that never worked before," he said of the program. "It showed you how to keep a job and excel."

Ebron is currently mulling over a job offer from Denmark. But he says he is leaning toward staying in school.

"It was great and encouraging," Ebron said.

T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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