County, City and Partner4Work Seek Employment Providers for 2017 Learn and Earn Summer Youth Employment Program

County, City and Partner4Work Seek Employment Providers for 2017 Learn and Earn Summer Youth Employment Program

Contact: Amie Downs, Allegheny County, amie.downs@alleghenycounty.us

Contact: Katie O’Malley, City of Pittsburgh, Katie.OMalley@pittsburghpa.gov

Contact: Jen Pajewski, Partner4Work, jpajewski@partner4work.org

PITTSBURGH, PA (Feb. 27, 2017) — Partner4Work, formerly the Three Workforce Investment Board, has released two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for Learn and Earn 2017, a $4.5 million summer youth employment program delivered in collaboration with Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh.

Now in its third year, the Learn and Earn program annually connects nearly 2,000 Allegheny County and Pittsburgh residents ages 14 through 21 with 6-week summer jobs in high-demand sectors including health care, education, STEM, and others. In 2016, 30 Learn and Earn providers connected young people with jobs at 350 businesses in the Pittsburgh area.

“The Learn and Earn program has been successful because of the many partnerships that we have in this community, and because of the leadership from Mayor Peduto and Partner4Work,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “Building on that success, I hope that even more organizations join us in providing summer employment and helping the youth in our community get the experience and life skills they need as they move into our workforce.”

Through two RFPs, Partner4Work is seeking proposals for prospective Learn and Earn providers and application support sites. Successful bidders will have the staff, technology and connections needed to help young people and their families successfully apply for Learn and Earn.

"For the third year in a row we are partnering with Allegheny County, Partner4Work, and so many others to provide meaningful job experiences for our young adults," said Mayor William Peduto. "We are asking our business and nonprofit community to work with us, open their doors and put our kids to work this summer."

Providers can range from community-based organizations, educational institutions, and other organizations that have the drive, expertise, and capacity to deliver a full-service summer work experience for a group of young people, including intake, training, worksite placement, and supportive services.

Neighborhood-based Application Support Centers are needed for program applicants and their families to utilize for assistance with any portion of the application process. Ideal candidates are community organizations that can provide outreach, technology, and staff support to help young people complete the online application for Learn and Earn 2017.

“We are casting a wide net for partners in an effort to engage the whole community, to meet young people and their families where they are to ensure we are delivering summer work experience to our young people who need it most,” said Stefani Pashman, Partner4Work CEO. “We’re helping our youth learn to work by working.”

Complete descriptions of both RFPs can be found at partner4work.org/documents/procurement/.

The deadline for Application Support Sites is 5 p.m. Friday, March 3, 2017.

The deadline for Program Providers is 5 p.m. Friday, March 10, 2017.

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