Preparing today’s youth for tomorrow’s careers
When I was a teenager, few summer jobs were available in my hometown of Alexandria, Minn., that could prepare me for a journalism career. Most part-time work involved flipping burgers, operating a soft-serve machine or waiting tables. The summer after graduation, I got a good-paying job at a bank, where I learned the finer points of filing, honed my typing skills (on an actual typewriter — it was the ’80s), and perhaps most importantly, affirmed my desire to work with words, not numbers.
I wouldn’t want to return to my teenage years, or to my go-fer job at the bank. But if I were a teen again, I’d want to apply for a program like STEP-UP, run by the City of Minneapolis.
STEP-UP places residents ages 14 to 21 in summer jobs with local businesses and nonprofit organizations. Director Tammy Dickinson says the goal is to help teens form connections while gaining valuable experience, so that after they graduate from high school and college, they will be more likely to seek employment in Minneapolis.
“By keeping kids occupied and learning skills, we are developing our workforce,” says Dickinson.
The program primarily serves youth from low-income families, or youth at risk of not finishing high school. Teens who are selected must complete work-readiness training before they can be considered for a job that fits their interests and career goals. The 14- and 15-year-olds work at nonprofits and earn minimum wage. Older teens get jobs in nonprofits, government, and private businesses, and can earn hourly wages. STEP-UP youth also participate in workshops on finances, careers, and leadership.
Every year, more than 3,000 youths apply for STEP-UP, and 2,200 were selected to attend work training. Ninety-two percent of the 1,400 kids who completed the training were interviewed and placed in jobs at one of over 150 participating employers, including Best Buy, the Minnesota Twins, the University of Minnesota, U.S. Bancorp, and the Walker Art Center.
The city contracts with AchieveMpls, the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, and the Minneapolis Workforce Centers to operate portions of the program.
The benefits for teens are pretty obvious: they get paid for doing a job that could help them one day land a position in a chosen career. But the program benefits employers, too, because they are matched with young people who are motivated to succeed. And because a majority of them are people of color, the program helps employers diversify the workplace, bringing in new perspectives and skills.
“The youth are so talented, and so many are bilingual — think what that can bring to your workforce,” Dickinson says.
Check their website to apply; applicants will find out this month if they’ve been accepted into the training program, which includes a mock job interview with business professionals. Internships start in mid-June and last six to 10 weeks.
Dickinson says economic woes have made it more challenging in the past two years to secure enough jobs for the program. Some previous employers have said they can’t afford to make an internship available for the summer. In those cases, she says, STEP-UP encourages companies to donate money to help subsidize a job at another company or nonprofit employer.
Other companies have said they couldn’t justify hiring an intern when they were laying off regular staff members.
“Our answer to that is that the summer intern has a niche, working on short-term projects, covering for people on vacation. They are not a replacement; they help get things done,” she says.
Even though summer is a few months away, it’s not too early for teens to apply for jobs, or to consider how a part-time job can lead to greater opportunities. Networking isn’t just for adults anymore.
Writer Joy Riggs says her most unusual part-time job was secret shopper for a bagel company.
