Mayor Scott Calls On Businesses To Sign Up For YouthWorks And Employ Young Baltimoreans This Summer
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Mayor Brandon Scott on Friday put out a call for businesses to employ young Baltimoreans through the city's YouthWorks program.
"Baltimore youth want to work and are ready to help our local businesses soar. I urge area employers to plan for your future today by hiring through YouthWorks for your summer needs," he said.
Scott said the young people who get a job through the program come out of it with a better understanding of what they want to do with their lives.
The Mayor's Office of Employment Development has run YouthWorks for more than three decades. Each summer, thousands of Baltimoreans between the ages of 14-21 are placed in positions with private, nonprofit, and city/state government organizations.
This year's program will run from July 5 through Aug. 5. Participants will work up to 25 hours a week, earning $12.50 per hour.
Workers are also provided with financial literacy and skills training.
"We want to make sure that every young adult that wants to work doesn't miss this opportunity. There's still time for young adults to sign up and launch their career this summer at one of several hundred worksites," said Jason Perkins-Cohen, director of the Mayor's Office of Employment Development.
Due to the pandemic, the program went to a virtual model in 2020 and a hybrid model in 2021.
Last November, Scott said the city would invest $30 million of its American Rescue Plan funding into workforce and economic development, including $8.4 million to create a year-round version of YouthWorks that started earlier this year.
