2018 Summer Youth Employment Program to Serve Over 1,000 Young People in Greater Hartford

HARTFORD – Capital Workforce Partners is excited to announce that given the significant investments made by the State of Connecticut/Connecticut Department of Labor, the City of Hartford, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and American Savings Foundation that the 2018 Summer Youth Employment Learning Program will serve 1,300 participants in the Capital Region. This is good news given that last year’s summer employment program saw a reduction in the number of young people served due to the state budget cuts. 

The Summer Youth Employment Learning Program (SYELP) provides work-based learning experiences that contribute to youths’ future success in the workforce. The program provides career readiness development for youth between the ages of 14 and 24 through six-week summer jobs in high-demand sectors at several hundred worksites. 

“Investing in Connecticut’s youth is about educating tomorrow’s workforce, keeping our state competitive and building upon our economic development strategies,” said State Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby. “This partnership has resulted in a program that does much more than employ youth during the summer; it prepares them for successful careers, promotes learning and responsibility, and fosters a stronger commitment to their communities.” 

SYELP pairs participants with regional employers where they develop and expand their career-readiness skills in high demand industries and occupations. The program is strengthened by area businesses who are lending their support by providing hundreds of worksites and adult mentoring opportunities for paid summer interns. 

“The summer youth employment and learning program is so important for our community, giving young people the chance to earn a paycheck while building the experience and the skills to help prepare them for careers,” said Mayor Bronin. “As a city, we’ve made summer youth employment a priority, and we’re proud to partner with the Department of Labor and the Hartford Foundation to ensure that we can give young people in Hartford this critical summer work experience.” 

The City of Hartford contributes $1-million which supports several hundred Hartford youth in summer employment, with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving providing over $400,000 in support of an additional 195 Hartford youth. 

“The Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program provides hundreds of Greater Hartford youth with an invaluable, real-world opportunity to learn what takes to hold a job and what’s expected in the workplace,” said Hartford Foundation Director of Grants and Partnerships Judy McBride. “Another core value of the program is that each young person receives a paycheck for the hours they work. Providing youth with an income to assist themselves and their families serves as an incredibly impactful youth engagement tool.” 

The program helps young people develop work-readiness and educational skills, such as time management, communications, and teamwork. It also helps youths build the confidence needed to work and communicate effectively in a professional environment as they prepare for life beyond high school. The program also provides services to a number of Opportunity Youth residents in Hartford ages 16 through 24 who are disconnected from the education system and require both core competency training as well as educational support. 

“Being a part of SYELP has helped me develop a sense of responsibility. It has also helped me open doors to other job opportunities this summer. I hope to get more job experience to build my resume,” said D. Moscow, an SYELP participant. 

SYELP is made possible through partnerships with several community-based organizations and employers in our region with support from the State of Connecticut Department of Labor, the City of Hartford, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, American Savings Foundation and other funders. 

“This is a major investment in talent development needed by area employers. As we strive to grow our regional workforce, it begins with investing in our area youth. We would like to thank our funders, elected officials, employer partners, and community-based partners, for their dedication to helping Capital Workforce Partners find, retain and grow the talented workforce in North-Central Connecticut,” said Alex Johnson, President/CEO of Capital Workforce Partners. 

This summer’s SYELP runs through August 24th, 2018. To learn more about SYELP, visit www.capitalworkforce.org. For media inquiries please contact: Shurland Oliver: 860.899.3518 soliver@capitalworkforce.org.