Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The Sangamon County Board is supporting a new effort by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce to help the younger population in the area get jobs.

The board has approved a nearly $800,000 state grant application to that end for the Chamber.

“We’re going to focus on high school and college employment,” said Mike Murphy, Chamber CEO, to the Sangamon County Board this week.  “I reached out to other chambers and other entities who do workforce plans all across the country, to try to get some best practices of things that would work.”

Things, Murphy says, like four different job initiatives per month at every high school, and resume’ development.

That’s in addition to “a job shadowing program,” said Murphy.  “I have two children…they both work in the field they job shadowed when they were in high school.  I know it can be a valuable tool.”

It might be the key to getting younger people to stay in Sangamon County, Murphy said, based on information Sangamon County Board Chair Andy Van Meter gave him.

“He mentioned that the one area of population that Sangamon County is doing poorly in is the age [sic] between 18 and 35.  We’re just not retaining that age group here in Springfield.”

The money, being obtained with the help of State Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield, would be spent over the next five-plus years, and would also allow for the hiring of a staff person to coordinate it.

The vote Tuesday supporting the grant application was unanimous.