In 2016, Minneapolis will put $350,000 into expanding TechHire, the public-private
partnership that is part of a White House campaign to diversify the tech sector
– one of the fastest-growing corners of the U.S. economy.
TechHire provides accelerated training programs plus job-placement help
to groups historically shut out of high-paying tech positions. It aligns with Mayor Betsy Hodges’ push to reduce income disparities between Minneapolis’
white and nonwhite residents.
According to Deb Bahr-Helgen, Director of City of Minneapolis Employment
and Training, $250,000 of the allocation will go toward financial aid for
students who qualify. The remaining $100,000 will support an employment and training agency to provide wrap-around services to participants and for marketing/outreach.
Minneapolis Employment and Training was funded $360,000 through the City's budget process to administer BUILD Leaders, a proven youth violence prevention model developed
in Chicago and adapted for Minneapolis.
Build Leaders is an equity focused, community oriented intervention
program for disenfranchised 18-24 year old youth with systemic barriers to
educational and economic opportunities (lack of diploma, criminal records
etc.). Youth will receive paid training
in facilitation, leadership, and job skills, and will deliver the BUILD
curriculum for younger youth, 9-12 years old.
BUILD Leaders will serve two cohorts of youth. One
of these cohorts will serve youth from the Native American community and one
will serve the North Minneapolis community.
Minneapolis Employment and Training will issue an RFP to select
community-based agencies that will also leverage WIOA Federal funding.
STEP-UP, the City of Minneapolis jobs program for Minneapolis youth is
accepting applications for 2016 summer internship placements. The application
closes on February 5th, 2016. Interested eligible Minneapolis youth can view
and complete the application online here.
To be eligible, youth must
- live in Minneapolis
- be 14-21 years old on June 1, 2016
-
not be currently enrolled in college (PSEO is
okay). Current college students may consider the Urban
Scholars Program.
- meet income guidelines or have a substantial
barrier to employment including students with disabilities, IEPs, English
language learners, or pregnant and parenting teens. If you are unsure if you
qualify, please apply.
- applicants must be eligible to work in the US by June 1, 2016 and have proper documentation
STEP-UP is also seeking businesses, public agencies and nonprofits to employ interns in 2016. Find more information and apply here. Employers can also learn more about the program at STEP-UP At A Glance.
In November, Matthew Courtney joined Minneapolis Employment
and Training as an Administrative Analyst II. His duties include new
grant development, reporting and analytics for existing programs, and
providing staff support to the Minneapolis Workforce Council.
Previously, Matthew worked in the
City of Minneapolis' Intergovernmental Relations Department, where he supported grant
development throughout the enterprise. In 2015, he served on the City’s
task force that won a federal Promise Zone designation to implement
comprehensive revitalization strategies in North Minneapolis.
Before
joining the City, Matthew worked as Grants Director for the Mille Lacs Band of
Ojibwe, a federally-recognized Native American tribe.
In 2010, when the economy was starting to
recover from the Great Recession, the Twin Cities seemed to be faring better
than many metropolitan areas. But a study published by the Economic Policy
Institute told a different story: The jobless rate for African-Americans was more
than three times higher than that of whites.
Many organizations throughout the metro have
identified employment equity and disparity reduction as a key mission of their
work, according to Deb Bahr-Helgen, Director of City of Minneapolis Employment
and Training. An example of a collaborative effort to bring employment equity
is Everybody In, a regional effort to eliminate the disparity gap by connecting
the dots for positive change in our region.
Everybody In’s Executive Director Sam Grant
said his organization brings together the people and programs who are already
doing good work with employers and others who want to take the next step but
aren’t sure how.
In the end, satisfied customers are everyone’s
goal, Bahr-Helgen said, “The demographics of our communities are changing and
so the face of the workplace is changing, as well. As big workforce shortages loom
ahead for us as baby boomers retire, intense competition for talent will
require employers to shift their hiring and retention practices in order to
attract and retain talent. “
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more of the story.
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