August 2016

For Your Calendar

Minneapolis PARTNERS with Youth Conference

Date: Friday, September 16, 2016

Time: 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Location: Minneapolis Convention Center

Minneapolis Workforce Council Meeting

Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Time: 8:00 a.m.

Location: U.S. Bank Stadium 

Services-to-Adults Conference  

Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2016 

Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Location: Hennepin County Downtown Minneapolis Central Library. 

July 2016 Unemployment Rate for Minneapolis

The July 2016 unemployment rate dropped to 3.4%, down .3% from June, resulting in 8,017 residents unemployed and actively seeking employment, a decrease of 629 unemployed from June to July.

The federal government’s estimate of the Minneapolis labor force increased between June to July, adding 527 to the labor force, increasing the total labor force to 236,737.

The year-over-year trend for July shows increased labor force participation and a slightly lower unemployment rate from one year ago.

July’s 3.4% unemployment rate in Minneapolis is .3% lower than the State of Minnesota, .1% lower than the seven county metro area and 1.7% lower than the national average.

State Gains 11,300 Jobs in July

Minnesota employers added 11,300 jobs in July, according to seasonally adjusted figures released by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

Those figures, combined with revised data that showed the state gained 2,400 more jobs than originally reported in June, brought employment gains in the state to 44,034 over the past year, an increase of 1.5 percent. Jobs nationally climbed 1.7 percent over the past year.

See the press release.

Partner Profile: East Side Neighborhood Services

ESNS Forklift/Bobcat training students and instructors.

East Side Neighborhood Services (ESNS), organized in 1915, is a nonprofit human service agency that provides services to individuals, families and the communities of primarily Northeast and Southeast Minneapolis.  

ESNS has partnered with Minneapolis Employment and Training to provide personalized career guidance, skills training, and job search services to adults since 1982, and to young people since 2006.

Adult employment services include:

• Soft skills development, job search services, and work readiness workshops (computer basics, online job search and application)
• Financial literacy workshops
• Free computer lab access for participants.
• Technical training that yields industry-recognized credentials for Forklift/Bobcat, ServSafe, and First Aid/CPR
• Career Pathways Training for Certified Nursing Assistant, Child Development Associate, and Leadership in Hospitality 

Thirty four of the 69 adults served during the last program year found employment and twelve earned industry recognized credentials.

Youth (14-24) services include:

• Goal setting
• Work readiness training
• Linkages to credentialed training (ServSafe, CNA, CDA, Doula, Forklift/Bobcat)
• Paid internships
• Career pathways exploration in IT and Hospitality
• One-on-one job placement/case management

Twenty-five of the 66 youth served during the last program year completed the program. Five earned industry recognized credentials, one entered post-secondary training, one entered advanced training and five entered unsubsidized employment with 100% of those still employed.

STEP-UP Celebrates a Successful Summer

(Top) Employer of the Year award winners Jennie Carlson of U.S. Bank and Matt Halley of Cookie Cart. (Bottom Left) Supervisor of the Year presenters and winners from left to right: former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak, Christine Kim of Briggs and Morgan, Anthony Emmanuel of Hope Community, Meghann Gordon of Commonbond Communities, Allison Berg of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, and Richard Davis of U.S. Bank. (Bottom Right) Mayor Betsy Hodges 

On Thursday, August 18, STEP-UP hosted its 13th annual End of Summer Celebration at the Guthrie Theater. Over 800 STEP-UP interns, supervisors, employers and supporters gathered and filled the room with excitement as they celebrated nearly 1,700 internships.

At the event, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, and STEP-UP co-chairs former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak, now President and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation  and Richard Davis, Chairman and CEO of U.S. Bank, announced the 2016 Employer, Intern and Supervisor of the Year awards.

The Employer of the Year award winners are Cookie Cart, a STEP-UP partner since 2010, employing over 200 STEP-UP interns to date, and U.S. Bank, a STEP-UP partner since the program’s founding in 2004, employing 346 interns during thattime.

The event was hosted by a STEP-UP Alumnus Aajaze Davis with reflections from two current STEP-UP interns. The celebration featured performances by Intermedia Arts and the Patrick Henry High School Elite Step Team.

Learn more about STEP-UP.