On Tuesday, June 19, SummerWorks kicks off its 10th year of placing Portland-area young adults in summer jobs to gain valuable work experience critical to their long-term success.
Officials from Portland, Multnomah and Washington counties, and federal agencies will launch the program on the Portland State University campus.
What: SummerWorks Kick Off
When: June 19, 2018, 12:00 noon
Where: Portland State University, Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park Avenue
Who: Mayor Ted Wheeler, Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith
Since 2009, SummerWorks — a program managed through Worksystems, Inc. — has placed more than 6,000 young people, ages 16 to 24, in paid summer jobs. The program provides a first job experience for young adults who are motivated to work but may lack the social networks or support to find jobs on their own. The program targets under-represented youth who face challenges such as growing up in poverty or being at-risk of dropping out of high school.
Multnomah County began sponsoring the program in 2011, and has seen the impact grow from 25 young adults to 600 youth being hired in 2018.
“This program works because it connects young people with quality jobs at good pay and provides the skills they need to make their lives better now and in the future.” says Commissioner Loretta Smith, who has been an advocate of the program since 2011.
“The SummerWorks program is an indispensable tool in training the next generation of productive workers, in breaking the cycle of poverty, and in teaching young people the value of work and the self-esteem that comes with it,” Commissioner Smith said.
SummerWorks was formed in response to a persistent youth unemployment problem in the Portland metro region. There are nearly 30,000 young people who are both out of school and out of work in that area. Unemployment rates for youth continue to lag behind older adults and have not recovered to pre-Recession levels.
Young adults. ages 16 to 24, made up 12 percent of the labor force, but accounted for 27 percent of Oregon unemployment in 2015. Consequently, the share of unemployed young people with no previous work experience has nearly doubled. The SummerWorks program is helping address this youth unemployment crisis.
“Despite our booming economy, many in the city continue to struggle to make ends meet,’’ says Mayor Ted Wheeler. “Assuring that all Portland youth have the opportunity to fully participate in our economy and be connected with employment opportunities is a key goal of my administration and essential for our continued economic success.’’
The City of Portland and Multnomah County have prioritized working with public and private partners to build a more robust internship system to connect Portland students to the local workforce, and is particularly focused on improving disparities in education, work and family outcomes for African American men.
Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Smith will address hundreds of young people at the kick-off event. Andrew McGough, executive director of WorkSystems, will speak along with Andrew Colas, owner of Colas Construction, one of participating employers. You can learn more and sign up at http://www.summerworkspdx.org/.