JOB SEEKERS EXCITED BY NEW CENTER NEW MALL TO ADD 1,200 RETAIL, FOOD SERVICE POSTS.

Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - The anticipated opening this fall of Simi Valley Town Center will add 1,200 retail and food service jobs - prospects welcomed by throngs of teenagers and twenty-something job seekers.

``The impact the mall will have on the youth will be tremendous,'' said Laura Magness, Youth Employment Service coordinator. ``Students are so excited. They're excited about working at their favorite stores. They are even more excited about having a place to hang out.''

Debbie Solomon, director of community services, said the regional mall opens up the job market for scores of teenagers and provides a wide range of job opportunities.

The Town Center is an 800,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style shopping center north of the Ronald Reagan Freeway between Erringer Road and First Street.

John M. Gilchrist Jr., a developer for the San Diego-based Corti Gilchrist Partnership LLC, said of the 120 spaces at the mall, 70 percent have already committed to leases.

Those include teen favorites such as Tilly's, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters, No Fear and Vans - anchored by a Macy's and a Robinsons-May.

Jack Kyser, chief economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., predicts that at least half of the new jobs will go to younger people.

Unemployment, he added, is highest among the young because of the group's lack of work place skills and educational background.

``Anytime you have a retail operation, they have long operating hours. A lot of workers in retail, food service ... a lot of part-time workers, a lot of opportunities for young people,'' he said. ``In many cases, they get their first taste of the business world. Many stay, others get an idea of the workplace and get training and work ethic.''

Annually, the city's youth employment program serves more than 4,000 young people between the ages of 13 and 22 with resumes, counseling and job coaching, among other things. The program was started in 1970 and is funded by the city.

Through a screening process, YES refers potential employees to private residents and business employers. The program also organizes workshops and mock interviews for more than 2,000 Simi Valley high schoolers as they venture into the work force.

Magness is currently working on helping fill 70 job orders.

Now with the mall's grand opening just months away, Magness, who is also the Simi Valley Youth Council director, has been in talks with Greg Lenners, the newly named Simi Valley Town Center general manager.

Lenners said the idea is to have a job fair a month to six weeks prior to the Oct. 27 opening date.

``We're opening new doors to teens and young adults,'' he said. ``I started in the same role as well - as a teen working at a retail store and worked my way up.''

Monica Espinoza, a 17-year-old Royal High School junior, is the Simi Valley Youth Council chairwoman. The council is an official advisory board appointed by the City Council to address youth concerns.

She will be looking for her first job come October. Right now, she said, there is a job shortage for teens in Simi Valley.

The buzz among teens is that the shopping center will surely be the city's community hub.

``There's a complaint that there's nothing to do in Simi Valley,'' she said. ``The mall might serve some of that purpose of giving students something to do.

``I'm really excited about it. It'll bring a lot of new jobs and it'll give us an opportunity to branch out to different groups of people.''

Recently, youth employment opportunities have picked up with the addition of new businesses such as Macaroni Grill and Kohl's on Tapo Canyon Road in The El Paseo Simi, Magness said. And the market is expected to continue flourishing.

YES is organizing a summer job fair for April 30 at the Boys & Girls Club of Simi Valley.

Overall, Simi Valley's unemployment rate dropped to 4.5 percent in January.

``We're bringing more employment opportunities to the community as the years go by,'' said Brian Gabler, the city's director of economic development. ``The Town Center will create a lot of opportunities for various different age levels.''

Angie Valencia-Martinez, [phone]

angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com