Employment Strategies

Cross-system teams from eight cities gathered in Denver in October to develop and expand city strategies for reengaging disconnected youth and improving achievement among young men of color.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray, accompanies by teams of senior city staff, convened in Baltimore in September at the most recent session of the Mayors' Institute on Children and Families to explore strategies for expanding youth employment, which has fallen to historic nationwide lows.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has announced a $130 million city initiative to support education and employment training for young black and Latino males who are disproportionately likely to be among the city's dropout, incarcerated or jobless populations.

A new report by Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies shows that teen year-round and summer employment rates have fallen to the lowest levels recorded in the nation’s postwar history, and predicts another weak teen summer job market in 2011

Cross-system teams from six cities convened in Hartford, Conn., in mid-April to deepen city strategies to reengage disconnected youth — 16-24 year-olds who are out of school and out of work, including many who are “aging out” of public care systems. The YEF Institute organized the meeting as part of its Municipal Leadership for Disconnected Youth initiative, which is made possible by the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.  

In May 2009, with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor, the YEF Institute launched an initiative to help 12 cities put disconnected youth to work through creative and effective use of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.  Four cities received further assistance in implementing their youth employment plans.

Summer jobs prospects for teenagers have been diminishing steadily over the past decade, but employment rates for the nation’s 16- to 19-year-olds fell to new lows in 2010, with only 29 percent of teens in this age group working this past June compared with nearly 40 percent in June 2007 and more than 51 percent in June 2000.

The National Employment Law Project (NELP) and the YEF Institute have published a strategy guide entitled Cities Pave the Way: Promising Reentry Policies that Promote Local Hiring of People with Criminal Records. Made possible by support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the guide highlights innovative local hiring policies that increase the chances that individuals with criminal records will find work, live within the law, and give back to their communities.
Additional NELP resources on city hiring initiatives

Coauthored by YEF Institute Executive Director Clifford M. Johnson; Amy Rynell, director of the National Transitional Jobs Network; and Melissa Young, associate director of the National Transitional Jobs Project, this paper makes the case for using public-service employment (PSE) and transitional jobs programs to combat economic recession and advance long-term workforce development goals.  The paper was originally presented at an Urban Institute conference on Reducing Poverty and Economic Distress after ARRA held in January 2010.
Publicly-Funded Jobs paper (PDF)

This brief case study highlights how an urban forestry initiative in New Haven, Conn., has brought together multiple city departments, a community-based organization and Yale University together to create workforce development opportunities for youth from low-income families as well as formerly incarcerated residents.

Originally presented at an Urban Institute conference on Reducing Poverty and Economic Distress after ARRA held in January 2010, this paper – coauthored by Clifford M. Johnson, executive director of the YEF Institute; Amy Rynell, director of the National Transitional Jobs Network; and Melissa Young, associate director of the National Transitional Jobs Project – makes the case for using public-service employment (PSE) and transitional jobs programs to combat economic recession and advance long-term workforce development goals. 

The YEF Institute's first-ever report on The State of City Leadership for Children and Families identifies the nation's most cutting-edge city strategies to help children and families thrive.  Chapters on family economic success and youth in transition highlight a broad range of innovations and trends in municipal leadership. 
Full report (PDF) | Family economic success chapter (PDF) | Youth in transition chapter (PDF) 

This case study report highlights eight cities where municipal leaders have collaborated across public systems on behalf of disconnected youth. 

This report highlights local efforts to develop transitional jobs programs, which provide time-limited, wage-paying jobs – typically in public and nonprofit agencies – combined with skill development activities and related support services to help hard-to-employ participants be hired in and retain unsubsidized jobs.

This action kit highlights steps city officials can take to help young people who are not connected to school, work, or caring adults.

More tools and resources focused on employment strategies

Formed in 2001, the Family Economic Success (FES) Network provides the training, tools, and supports that local officials need to improve the financial stability of their residents. Specific areas of focus include increasing access to mainstream financial services, helping families build and protect assets, and conducting multi-benefit outreach.  The network is made possible by the generous support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. 
Subscribe to the network 

Formed in 2002, the Municipal Network on Disconnected Youth (MNDY) is a nationwide peer learning community of municipal leaders who are concerned about young people ages 16-24 who are out of work, out of school, and lack strong connections to the community and caring adults.  The network is made possible by the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
Subscribe to the network 

The Poverty Reduction Peer Network (PRPN) was formed in 2008 in conjunction with NLC’s Poverty Reduction Initiative and the City of Savannah, Ga., Step Up Poverty Reduction Initiative. It is a nationwide peer learning community that brings municipal leaders from 25-30 cities together to learn from each other and address challenges related to poverty.  The network is made possible by the generous support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. If you are interested in being a part of this peer network, contact Sarah Bainton Kahn at (202) 626-3044 or bainton@nlc.org.

The YEF Institute has received support from the Open Society Institute (OSI) to engage municipal leaders in OSI's Campaign for Black Male Achievement, a multi-issue, cross-fund strategy to address black men and boys' exclusion from economic, social, educational, and political life in the U.S.  The Municipal Leadership for Black Male Achievement initiative will strengthen city leaders' capacity to improve outcomes for young black males in education, work and family. 

In June 2009, with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and U.S. Department of Labor, the YEF Institute selected 12 cities to participate in a learning community focused on using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to strengthen local youth employment efforts. The cities of Dubuque, Iowa; Manchester, Conn.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Tucson, Ariz., were selected to receive additional technical assistance in connecting older youth to employment opportunities and helping them attain educational certifications. 

The YEF Institute worked with six cities - Denver; Hartford, Conn.; Newark, N.J.; Orlando, Fla.; Roanoke, Va.; and St. Louis - to help municipal leaders reengage disconnected youth through cross-system collaboration.

In partnership with the National Transitional Jobs Network, the Center for Employment Opportunities, and the Transitional Work Corporation, the YEF Institute helped seven cities design transitional jobs programs.  The project was funded by the Joyce Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation and Pew Charitable Trusts.

Supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Joyce Foundation, this project helped 10 cities establish transitional jobs programs for hard-to-employ individuals. Lessons from these cities' initiatives are available in the YEF Institute report below.
Transitional Jobs: A Workforce Strategy for Cities (PDF)