Transcript METRO NORTH REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT BOARD QUARTERLY MEETING – SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 THE CHALLENGES POSED BY YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT.

METRO NORTH REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT BOARD QUARTERLY MEETING – SEPTEMBER 25, 2013
THE CHALLENGES POSED BY
YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT
MEETING GOALS
• Identify new/additional approaches to the problem
of youth unemployment that can be implemented in
Metro North
• Identify new/additional strategies for linking youth to
priority industries/STEM occupations (linking to
strategic plan goals)
WHICH YOUTH?
• In-School Youth
 Youth in high school
Out-of-School Youth
 Youth in alternative education programs, e.g., GED
programs planning to enter post-secondary
education/training or employment
• Disconnected Youth
 Youth with barriers to education or employment, e.g.,
DYS-involved, homeless, DCF-involved, etc.
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT
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Lack of job openings or job openings are filled by adults and
older workers
Barriers to work
 Stricter application requirements, e.g., > 18 years old, CORIs,
work authorization
 On-line applications
 Transportation to scarce jobs
 Work hours for youth who are in school
Lack of experience; employer hiring criteria
Lack of work readiness skills/job search skills
Lack of basic education skills, e.g., reading, writing, math,
English
Lack of exposure to job/career options; lack of knowledge of
current labor market
Lack of occupational skills
METRO NORTH YOUTH CHARACTERISTICS
Total Population in Metro North:
Total Labor Force in Metro North:
Total 2012 Metro North Employment:
Total Metro North Youth Ages 16 – 21:
Total Metro North Youth Employed (26% est):
Total Economically Disadvantaged Youth:
761,431
424,262
401,621
55,814
14,512
10,030
YOUTHWORKS
Goals: Provide subsidized employment and work readiness training to youth (lowincome, age 14-21, youth with barriers to employment) in targeted cities
Summer: Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Revere, and Somerville
# Placed: 629
Year-Round: Cambridge, Chelsea, Malden, Revere and Somerville
# Placed: 70 (estimated)
Outcomes: Subsidized Employment, Work Readiness, Career Exposure
Challenges:
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Meaningful employment opportunities (currently primarily public sector)
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Identifying opportunities for youth with multiple barriers to employment, e.g., DYSconnected, youth with disabilities
CONNECTING ACTIVITIES
Goals:
1) Place youth in unsubsidized jobs, with emphasis on priority industries
2) Introduce youth to work through workshops, speakers and job
shadows
# Placed: 100 youth from six high schools
Schools: Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Malden, Somerville and Woburn
Services:
1) Coaches at schools outreach to youth, handle school
logistics
2) Career center staff connect youth to specific
internships/jobs , deliver workshops, develop WorkBased Learning Plans, assist with resume
development, arrange tours and job shadows
Outcomes:
Contribute to long-term success (academic and career)
through early introduction to the employment world
Challenges:
• Employer participation and involvement, especially in priority industries
• Employers hiring only age 18+
WIA YOUTH (LOW-INCOME; BARRIER)
In-School Youth:
Out of School Youth:
Goals: Drop-out Prevention, Transition
to Post-Secondary Education or
Employment
Goals:
# Served: 63
# Served: 101
Providers:
Bay Cove
Cambridge Housing Authority
Just-a-Start
Malden YWCA
Woburn Housing Authority
Mystic Learning Center
Providers:
American Training (LARE) - 3 Programs
Mystic Learning Center
Just-a-Start
Wakefield Public Schools
GED Attainment, Transition to
Post-Secondary Education or
Employment
WIA YOUTH (CONTINUED)
Providers:
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Education
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Career exploration/exposure or occupational training (in some cases)
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Work experience (summer jobs—primarily for in-school youth)
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Mentoring
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Counseling/case management/job search (shared with career center)
Career Center Services:
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Intake, eligibility/assessment, pre- and post-testing
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Counseling, case management , job search (shared with provider)
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Orientation/tour of career center
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Information sessions on priority industries (healthcare and STEM)
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Tailored services (selected workshops) focused on work readiness
Challenges:
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Student engagement; attendance at program
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Financial and family issues
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Employer engagement (for summer youth and other work experience)
WIA YOUTH TRANSITION SERVICES
Goal: Successfully outreach to disconnected youth in the community and
connect them to WIA services or employment opportunities
# Served: 700; average of 3.9 visits each
Services: Career centers provide a variety of workshops at non-profits and
other community-based organizations and alternative schools and
refer interested youth to further services
Challenges:
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Gaining and maintaining youth commitment to participate
Assisting youth in envisioning potential futures
AMP IT UP!
Goals:
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Introduce youth enrolled in GED programs to opportunities in manufacturing
through hands-on exposure
Create a new, accurate image of what it means to work in manufacturing;
present it as a positive career choice
Activities:
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Conducted four orientations (about 50 youth)
Provided two hands-on workshops (about 10 youth total)
Currently preparing online materials/resource to introduce youth and adults to
the opportunities in the manufacturing sector
Challenges:
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Finding an effective way to encourage youth and adults to consider careers in a
complex array of manufacturing environments
OTHER YOUTH ACTIVITIES
MCAS Pathways (The Career Place):
40
MassGrad (The Career Place):
30
Total Youth Served by Career Centers FY’13:
1,741
YOUTH COUNCIL
Goals:
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Coordinate a broad array of youth services in the region
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Convene youth-servicing representatives bi-monthly to support on-going
youth activities provided by the REB and career centers
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Review and recommend proposals for WIA funding
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Sponsor events, e.g., STEM events.
Participation: Membership includes representatives from youth vendors,
employers, REB members, local government, and nonprofits.
Challenge:
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Employer engagement/participation
DISCUSSION:
HOW CAN WE BEST ADDRESS:
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Lack of job openings – Are there ways to create new ones?
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Lack of experience – Are there alternative methods to meet experience
requirements?
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Lack of work readiness skills/job search skills – Are there methods that might
be more palatable to youth/more effective?
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Lack of exposure to job/career options; lack of knowledge of current labor
market – How can we maximize exposure to possible careers?
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Lack of basic education skills – Are there better methods than the traditional
classroom?
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Lack of occupational skills – How can we provide this with limited funding
available?
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Barriers to work (age, CORIs, transportation, work hours, online access)
How can we link these strategies to, or embed them in, our priority
industries/STEM occupations?