Tag Archives: Summer Employment Programs

Baltimore Youth Sit-In to Demand Jobs

1 Jul

credit: WMAR - ABC2

After significant cuts in the Baltimore youth summer employment program, dozens of youth staged an old-fashioned sit-in to demand jobs on Tuesday.

1,300 of the 6,700 students that applied to participate in the YouthWorks program will not be working this summer because of lack of funding.  However, the state is breaking ground on a $100 million youth prison which activists made a last ditch attempt to stop mid-June.  “Why can’t they give youth a job or something to do so that they’re not breaking laws or getting locked up?” said Jacquelle Jolly, 11th grader, to CBS News.

The dozens of students blocked the entrance to the city Office of Economic Development preventing employees from going to work.

credit: WMAR – ABC2

For its part the city says they are contributing the same $1.6 million they did last year, but the federal government is not coming through with the additional funding.

Karen Sitnick with the City Employment Development office said “They were hoping that this bill would pass and we would have the funding from the federal government to help us close the gap and it didn’t happen.”

The Senate meanwhile plans to leave town without passing a jobs bill because of Republican opposition.  Maybe we can raise some money for these teens to take the train ride down to Washington and protest there?

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Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

16 Jun

America is in a jobs crisis.  According to an April report, The Jobs Deficit, by the middle-of-the-road New America Foundation, we are short 12.3 million jobs (thats the difference between people looking for work and available jobs): 

Here is a look at what has stalled in Congress that would address this deficit gap, while bickering over the size of government distracts:

  • The American Power Act, which President Obama failed to demand the Senate pass last night, would create an average of 203,000 to 440,000 more jobs per year through 2020.  This is the time for green jobs legislation, but if the President stalls to happily “look at other ideas and approaches from either party” (as he did with healthcare legislation), we will be lacking the necessary leadership to get a bill passed.
  • The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, as watered down as it is, will inject $1 billion over ten-years into summer youth employment programs, creating 300,000 jobs for the youngest workers.
  • The Education Jobs Fund, introduced by Senator Harkin, would save more than 300,000 school jobs (teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, cafeteria workers) by injecting $23 billion into local boards of education over two years.
  • 6-month extension of Federal Medicaid matching funds.  This money is critical to maintaining basic government services and public sector jobs.  Cutting jobs and unemployment benefits is not the way to restore fiscal discipline, let alone grow the economy.  The Senate has re-included this as part of the Jobs Bill (HR 4213) that they are voting on today, but it is expected to fail in favor of some unclear compromise. 

We need to get America back to work in a way where everyone prospers, not just the few at the top.  Congress must act now.

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Labor Commissioners: Aid Needed for Summer Jobs

8 Jun

Labor Departments Unite to Urge Senate to Pass Summer Youth Legislation

$1 Billion Bill Could Change the Lives of Hundreds of Thousands of Youth this Summer

Albany, NY (June 07, 2010) – A short time ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to authorize $1 billion in summer youth programs for this year.  The Senate is expected to take up the bill when they return from recess today, Monday, June 7.  This legislation is critical for youth in states like Massachusetts and New York, who served more than 36,000 youth last year thanks to federal funding.   

At a press conference in Springfield, Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Joanne F. Goldstein and New York Labor Commissioner Colleen C. Gardner today called on the U.S. Senate to act immediately and vote “yes” on this important legislation.   Massachusetts estimates that with a $1B summer jobs package nationally, the state would receive approximately $20 M, which would result in around 8,500 youth served in summer jobs. If the Senate does not act on the $1B, only 916 youth will be put to work this summer with federal ARRA dollars.”It is critical that we obtain the funding for the public/private partnership that will provide summer jobs for young people, especially in our cities,” said Joanne F. Goldstein, Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development. ”Youth employment helps address the issues of urban unrest, allows young people to engage in productive activity and increases family income in these difficult economic times.”New York Labor Commissioner Gardner said, “Weather is getting nice across the country, people are venturing out to public parks, pools and beaches, and for hundreds of thousands of our nation’s youth, there is little or no hope that they’ll find a job this summer.  Unemployment among youth, especially in our urban areas, is at crisis levels, which is why the federal government needs to act immediately.  I urge them to do so.”  Research has shown that a key predictor of future success in the workplace is early exposure to a job.  In spite of this, young people are looking for jobs in New York, Massachusetts and states across the country.   In New York, the unemployment rate for youth ages 16 to 24 was 17.9 percent in 2009.  There is also an overwhelming demand for summer jobs, with as many as five youths applying every one summer job.  Summer youth funds are also considered “high velocity” dollars because they are spent locally to keep local economies going.”The summer youth employment program is an ideal way for young people to build vocational skills, earn money and develop a sense of pride that they are contributing to society,” Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Sandi Vito said. “Action must be taken to ensure that this valuable program – which for many youth is their first introduction to the workforce – is in place and able to have a positive effect on the future of our workforce.”"These programs help teens use their summertime productively, and they help all of the participants build valuable skills that will give them a leg up now and throughout their lives,” said Washington State Commissioner Karen Lee, who also is president of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies.Connecticut Acting Commissioner Linda Agnew stressed, “Summer youth programs are critical if states are to enhance the future workforce talent pipeline. Last year approximately 6,000 young people were provided valuable employment opportunities through our summer program, but nearly 7,000 were turned away due to lack of funding. This legislation will help eliminate waiting lists and assure that additional summer youth employment opportunities are provided to many more young people in Connecticut.”Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman said, “Thanks to Congress, Wisconsin provided employment opportunities for over 4,000 youth and young adults last summer with funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. While the economy is steadily improving, challenges remain for youth seeking summer employment opportunities. I urge the U.S. Senate to approve funding for summer youth employment. More than summer jobs, we’re preparing a new generation of workers for the future by providing valuable work experience.”For more information, please visit: The Massachusetts Office of Labor and Workforce Development or the New York State Department of Labor  

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Summary of Great Ideas from JEC Hearing

4 Jun

I realize I dropped the ball on providing a summary of the great ideas out of the Joint Economic Committee’s hearing on Avoiding a Lost Generation: How to Minimize the Impact of the Great Recession on Young Workers.  Young workers are facing record high unemployment and make up a disproportionate share of the unemployed.  

With statistics like these, we need every good idea we can get.  Arranged by originator:

Dr. Till von Watcher, Columbia University

  • Combine the delivery of unemployment benefits with better job steering and training programs.
  • Help young workers help themselves by giving them the information they need regarding projected future job growth and regionalization of industries – much of this information is already compiled by government agencies, but difficult to access and use.
  • Provide young workers vouchers for training, so its more affordable and possible.
  • Bring employers back into the discussion.
  • Increase the mandatory schooling age past 16, which was set for factory work.  Increasing the age will help them enter the workforce later with more skills.
  • Encourage partnerships between pools of small businesses and community colleges to provide training programs.

Dr. Harry Holzer, Georgetown University

  • Better connecting workforce development programs with education system.
  • Expand summer youth employment programs beyond summer months.
  • Increase the quality and quantity of training and certificate degree programs.
  • Better targeted efforts to employ those that are the most disadvantaged, including expanding public service employment opportunities for these young workers.
  • Tax credits for training and hiring young workers, to make it more affordable.
  • Encouraging students to go to training or certificate programs rather than college does not need to be seen as a bad thing, if those workforce development programs provide a clear pathway to success.
  • Good paying jobs for those with skills, but less formal education, still exist – but our education system does not push students to them.
  • We need to do something about the fact that once you are incarcerated and released, you are essentially unemployable.

David Jones, Community Service Society of NY

  • Tax credits for small businesses for hiring young workers.
  • Federal transportation dollars should be used to hire young workers.
  • Better enforcement of statutes that encourage hiring of young workers, like housing authority regulations.
  • Subsidies for young workers to afford community colleges and technical training schools.
  • Summer employment programs must offer real jobs to prepare young workers for entering the labor market and must connect to potential jobs later on.

Stephen Wing, CVS Caremark

  • Go into elementary and secondary schools to begin educating students about different jobs, so they can orient for the proper pathway to that job early.
  • Partnerships between foundations, government, the community, and businesses is crucial.
  • Young people will stick with the training programs if they feel they are learning real skills that will increase their opportunities.

and then some not-so-great ideas:

James Sherk, Heritage Foundation

  • End the minimum wage.
  • Strip out all labor market protections because they limit job growth.

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NYT Editorial: More Summer Jobs

2 May

The New York Times Editorial Board today called on Senate Republicans to stop blocking funding for summer youth jobs programs for teens:

Bills like these are often portrayed as pork barrel spending. But summer jobs help young people in desolate communities find meaning in their lives while improving their long-term work possibilities. The Senate needs to act soon. States and localities need time to set up effective jobs programs before school lets out.

Studies have shown that summer jobs gives teens valuable skills, reduces crime, and accomplishes significant benefits for the community like life-guarding or fixing potholes.  Unfortunately, funding for these critical programs has been cut drastically in many states, counties, and cities during the current round of  budget formations.  (YoungWorkerMovement is beginning a study to see how deep these cuts have been and how many programs will be effected.)  Last year’s stimulus act saved many of these programs, but the economic picture for towns and cities has only gotten bleaker since.  Without additional federal funds, this will accelerate the current distancing of the American Dream from America’s youth.

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