Great News - STEP-UP Program Receives Grant
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
– Office of Youth Development has selected STEP-UP for funding under the
Minnesota Youth at Work Competitive Grant. The STEP-UP summer youth employment
program will receive $750,000 for SFY2016 (July 1, 2015 - July 1, 2016) and
$750,000 for SFY2017 (July 1, 2016 - July 1, 2017). This is a $200,000 per year
increase which will enable STEP-UP to place 150 more young people into summer
jobs.
DEED’s priorities, impact areas and goals for all proposals included:
- Summer and/or year-round work experience for economically disadvantaged or at-risk
youth, ages 14 through 24
- Increased exposure to in-demand jobs
- Introduction and promotion of career pathways
and skill acquisition
- Promotion of mastery of work readiness
competencies and 21st Century skills
- Provision of high-quality work sites and overall
participant and employer satisfaction
Through the STEP-UP program, Minneapolis youth work in a wide range of
jobs at Twin Cities employers. The program is designed to engage young people
in internships that explore their career interests, gain skills, make
professional connections, and prepare them for meaningful work.
The STEP-UP Worksite Walking Tour, to be held July 21, 2015, will
showcase three STEP-UP worksites in the diverse Cedar Riverside neighborhood of
Minneapolis.
The event will kick off at 10:00 a.m. at the Carlson School of
Management (321 19th Ave. S.) with a welcome by Minneapolis City
Council member Abdi Warsame, whose ward includes Cedar Riverside.
At approximately 10:20 a.m. we will “hit the street” to take short
walks (2-3 blocks each) to the Somali American Parent Association, Riverside
Plaza Tenant Association, and Cedar Riverside People's Center where we will
meet STEP-UP interns and their employers. (Total walking distance is around 1
mile with worksite stops in between.)
We will return to the Carlson School at Noon to meet and hear
from another group of STEP-UP interns and their supervisors, who work in Cedar
Riverside. At that time, we will enjoy a complimentary box lunch.
Other organizations in Cedar Riverside that are employing STEP-UP
interns this summer are:
- Campus Kitchen at Augsburg College
- Confederation of Somali Community
- West Bank Community Coalition
- Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota
-
Fairview Hospital and Clinic
STEP-UP Worksite Tour invitations will be sent via EventBrite the week
of July 1st. If you cannot attend the entire event, ask for an
itinerary so that you can join us at one or two of the worksites that morning.
Email Pat Behrend or call
612-673-6220.
MWCA will hold the annual summer meeting in Duluth on August 4-6. The meeting is open to MWCA
members, workforce board members, staff, and partners. The website will be updated with more specific agenda
items as they become available. A major topic of discussion will be
implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Other topics include promising practices, networking, and updates from our colleagues in the
workforce system.
After releasing their Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Department of Labor provided the opportunity
to submit questions and comments. MWCA
partnered with the Department of Employment and Economic Development and the
Governor’s Workforce Development Council to prepare a comprehensive response. You can find the document submitted by the
MWCA to the DOL and other WIOA related information here.
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