According to a report released this month from the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, teens and young adults continue to struggle to gain traction in the labor market. At the same time, employers are having trouble with finding workers with the skills needed for available positions.
To combat that dynamic, the Annie E. Casey Foundation announced plans to increase job opportunities for young adults by investing in strategic partnerships to help prepare them for the workforce and enable them to build careers.
Through its Generation Work initiative, the foundation will work with partnerships in five cities across the U.S. to identify effective ways to help young people from low-income families get and keep well-paying jobs. This coming year, an initial $100,000 in grants will be awarded to programs in Cleveland; Hartford, Connecticut; Indianapolis; Philadelphia; and Seattle.
The cities were selected because of their demonstrated approaches to improve employment for young adults.
To help Generation Work succeed, the foundation will blend two strategies to better prepare young people for work:
- Demand-driven strategies informed by relationships with local businesses as well as insight into the local community’s economic needs.
- Youth development strategies, including mentoring and on-the-job learning opportunities.
