High school- and college-age students will be able to apply for summer jobs with the city under a grant program through the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. Monday signed an agreement with MDOT to hire young people between the ages of 16 and 25 under the 2014 Urban Youth Corps Program, which is funded by a $35,000 Federal Highway Administration grant.

The program is similar to one funded by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security that Warren County has participated in the past two summers.

The program is open to young people 16 to 25 years of age who are enrolled either in high school or college, or have agreed to enroll for a high school diploma or GED, and/or college. All participants will be subject to background checks and drug testing.

The grant provides money to pay for a supervisor for the students, students’ salaries and equipment to restore the fence at Cedar Hill Cemetery over a six-week period, from June 9 to July 18, grants administrator Marcia Weaver said.

Program participants will paint and restore 7,100 feet of perimeter fencing at the cemetery to restore the landscape of the cemetery, which is one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in the United States that is still in use today.

“The youth employed under this program will work at Cedar Hill Cemetery 36 hours a week and will also be required to attend four hours per week of life skills training in areas such as leadership skills, money management, how to interview for a job,” Weaver said. “We’re very excited about it.”

“This is a good opportunity to expand employment opportunities to our youth,” South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson said. “I’m aware a lot of youth are looking to do things this summer, and what better thing to do than get a job.”

Students can apply for the program through May 30. Applications are available through the city’s Website at www.vicksburg.org, by calling the city’s human resources department at 601-631-3710, or by email at hr@vicksburg.org. Completed applications must be delivered to the human resources department by 3 p.m. May 30.