County, City and Partner4Work Kick Off 2018 Learn & Earn Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Amie Downs, Allegheny County, amie.downs@alleghenycounty.us
Contact: Keyva Clark, City of Pittsburgh, keyva.clark@pittsburghpa.gov
Contact: Nathan Petrillo, Partner4Work, npetrillo@partner4work.org

PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh and Partner4Work today celebrated the start of the 2018 Learn & Earn summer youth employment program at the Best Buy Teen Tech Center.

Now in its fourth year, Learn & Earn annually connects nearly 2,000 underserved Allegheny County and Pittsburgh residents, ages 14 through 21, with 6-week summer jobs in high-demand sectors. This year, 26 Learn & Earn providers paired young people with summer jobs at several hundred sites, where they will explore career options, develop valuable skills and gain work experience. Participants also receive 12 hours of work-readiness training, covering topics such as productivity, accountability, problem-solving and collaboration.

“We’re very proud of the success of this program, providing over 1,800 youth in our community with summer employment that provides them with work-readiness skills as well as a paycheck,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “Not only are youth given a summer job, but also an opportunity to explore a career in which they may be interested and to do work that is impactful for our community. The more that we can do to help our youth get ready for the workforce, the more prepared they will be to enter that workforce when the time comes.”

During the event, Learn & Earn participants, employed through PHASE 4 Learning Center, showed officials the technology they are using at the Best Buy Teen Tech Center. Those employed at other Learn & Earn sites will gain experience in positions as varied as camp counselor to office assistant.

“Learn & Earn is much more than an opportunity to earn a paycheck,” said Majestic Lane, Deputy Chief of Staff, City of Pittsburgh. “These jobs help young people build confidence, develop college- and work-readiness skills, such as time management, communications and teamwork, learn from mentors, and dream big about their careers.”

This model summer youth employment program includes a highly selective Corporate Internship component. More than 15 area businesses are lending their support by hosting dozens of paid corporate interns, who will expand their career-readiness skills in high demand industries and occupations. During the summer, Learn & Earn will supplement the interns’ on-the-job experiences with 18 hours of training to learn about financial literacy, resume writing and interviewing, and networking techniques. The program also provides interns with opportunities to learn from guest speakers from the business community.

“We applaud Pittsburgh-area business leaders for supporting our region’s talent pipeline by participating in Learn & Earn’s Corporate Internship program,” said Debra L. Caplan, Chair, Learn & Earn Advisory Council and Partner4Work Youth Advisory Committee. “Learn & Earn brings together the public and private sectors to invest in our community’s young adults, opening doors to career pathways in Pittsburgh’s innovative, expanding economy.”

Learn & Earn is made possible through a partnership between Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, and Partner4Work, with support from organizations such as The Pittsburgh Foundation, PNC Charitable Trusts, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and McAuley Ministries. A representative from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield presented a $50,000 contribution to the Learn & Earn program during today’s kick-off event.

This summer’s Learn & Earn season runs through August 3. To learn more about Learn & Earn, visit www.jobs4summer.org.