Final 2018 Learn & Earn Numbers

PITTSBURGH, PA (October 4, 2018) – The City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Partner4Work are thrilled to announce that the 2018 Learn & Earn summer youth employment program was able to offer summer jobs to all 2,341 eligible applicants this year, many in high-demand sectors. By partnering with 26 community-based providers this year, Learn & Earn paired 100 more young adults with jobs this summer than in 2017.     

Concluding its fourth year, Learn & Earn had 1,813 Allegheny County and City of Pittsburgh residents, ages 14-21, work through the program. Thirty-two of the participants completed the highly selective corporate internship program.  

"Since we increased our investment in the Learn and Earn program, our numbers have grown over and above each year," said Mayor William Peduto.  "We have been able to expand our reach and connect a higher number of our young people each year throughout Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods and Allegheny County to career opportunities, not just manual labor jobs. This program has come to be a vital connection for our youth in the summer months to new possibilities." 

“One of our region’s biggest challenges is ensuring that our residents have the skill sets they need to meet the demand of businesses seeking employees,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “The Learn and Earn Program provides soft skills as well as job experience, preparing the youth who participated for the opportunities that will be available to them in the future. I’m proud that we have been able to continue growing this program and that over 1,800 youth have had this experience that they can build on for future employment.” 

Learn & Earn is a six-week program that provides young adults with the opportunity to gain work experience, develop soft skills and explore careers. 

The program engaged participants in a range of activities, from editing videos and learning archival skills to creating marketing campaigns and performing community research on key issues. The young adults earned more than $1.5 million in wages and around $144,000 in training stipends. They worked more than 215,000 hours (119 average) and had more than 19,800 hours of work-readiness training (11 average). 

The Learn & Earn application process mirrored that of unsubsidized employment to help young adults learn and practice the critical skill of completing an online job application, adding in supports where necessary. Learn & Earn provided 28 application support centers throughout Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh to provide technical assistance to young adults and their families.  

“Learn & Earn helped more young adults become college and career ready this summer thanks to the steadfast commitment and leadership from the County and City, and strong partnerships with employers and community organizations,” said Partner4Work CEO Earl Buford. “We especially want to thank our business partners that hosted corporate interns, providing an opportunity for our region’s future leaders to explore careers, gain work experience, build valuable skills, and make the connection between their education and their future.”