The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) joined the County of Los Angeles in announcing the Summer Kick-off of Youth@Work at Grand Park, in Downtown Los Angeles. Youth@Work is a regional initiative that provides summer jobs to youth ages 14-24 and prepares them for 21st-century careers. LA County also announced their goal to hire 25,000 youth and outlined major efforts to expand youth employment opportunities, job creation and workforce development in the County of Los Angeles.
LA County Supervisors Hilda L. Solis and Mark Ridley-Thomas, along with Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS) Director Cynthia D. Banks, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Gary Toebben and youth participated in the press conference. HACLA’s President and CEO Douglas Guthrie, Strategic Initiatives Assistant Director, Jennifer Thomas, Workforce Development and Section 3 Manager Pamela Paige and Youth Program Specialist, Hector Chacon and 6 HACLA youth from Imperial Courts and Jordan Downs and 4 UCLA Tutoring Program staff attended the kick-off celebration.
“As a former Secretary of Labor, I know how important it is to ensure that all youth have meaningful employment opportunities and career pathways. As the largest employer in the region, the County is leading the way, along with our partners, to improve outcomes for at-risk youth,” said Supervisor Hilda L. Solis.
“This youth employment program is great because it gets the youth out of the house so they are not bored, doing nothing all summer. It also helps the students buy shoes, uniforms, and clothes for school, things that their parents cannot usually afford,” said Lizbet Rivera, 14 year-old resident of Jordan Downs who was placed to work at the Jordan Downs Maintenance unit.
HACLA’s WorkSource Center is actively recruiting the youth residing at public housing sites to take advantage of the Youth@Work program. Not only will the youth have a chance to earn a paycheck, they will gain invaluable work experience that will help in their future careers. The WorkSrouce Center has developed partnerships with numerous public and private sector companies and organizations that have committed to hiring HACLA’s youth. Some of the companies that will provide job opportunities to the youth include: Boys & Girls Clubs, Warehouse Shoe Sale, Weed & Seed, Petco, LocoL, Walgreens, ReDiscover Center, Baby2Baby, human-I-T, CVS, and many more.
To learn more about WDACS, visit: http://wdacs.lacounty.gov