CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Summertime is almost here. That means fun in the pool, but it is also a time when young people are looking for summer jobs.
The Collegiate School Aquatics Center in Chesterfield is a place of competition, but it is also a place to learn about swimming and water safety. Additionally, it is where students can train to be lifeguards.
Swim instructor Jacob Henry explains how students in Richmond Public Schools can benefit.
“Behind us is my advanced PE class,” Henry said. “They go Tuesday and Thursday to the pool. We split between swimming skills and lifeguarding skills with the goal of them, at the end of the semester, being able to swim, their water is safe, and they've learned lifeguard skills so that they can take a lifeguard class, pass that, and then get a job.”
They are learning those skills through SwimRVA, a nonprofit focused on swimming and water safety in the region.
The Swim for Life program is helping to give more local students access to aquatic training and career opportunities through lifeguard courses.
"We want to help kids enter the workforce,” SwimRVA Executive Director Adam Kennedy said. “So we teach kids to swim on the elementary side, and then we follow them with a continuum of service through the middle school and high school years. For us in the industry, we need life safety professionals as much as anything, and that's what keeps our pools open and viable."
Richmond high school students can enroll for free through their advanced PE curriculum at five local high schools.
This training not only prepares students for the workforce, but some students also learn to swim for the first time.
Sixty-four percent of Black children and 45 percent of Hispanic children have little to no ability to swim, even though swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent.
About 61 percent of RPS students are Black and 27 percent are Hispanic.
In addition to becoming strong swimmers, Swim for Life students learn about the world of aquatics and the opportunities it offers.
Lifeguard positions in Richmond start at $17 per hour and begin hiring at 15 years old.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky| Facebook| Instagram| X| Threads| TikTok| YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
