(WXYZ) — The Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program has kicked off its ninth year, creating summer job experiences for thousands of the city’s youth ages 14-24.
According to the city, this year’s program will provide 8,546 experiences, helping GDYT surpass its 70,000 summer job experiences since its creation in 2015.
The opportunities are in partnership with metro Detroit companies, nonprofits, municipal departments, local businesses and the philanthropic community.
“I’m delighted to officially launch this summer’s ‘Grow Detroit’s Young Talent’ employment experience,” said Deputy Mayor Bettison in a press release. “Every summer, those of us who are often out in the city of Detroit see these youth all around the city, wearing their GDYT shirts, doing the jobs that employers need. We are proudly growing our young talent by equipping them with the necessary life skills to successfully compete in the workforce.
The strategic goals of GDYT are listed as:
- Ensure young adults have meaningful summer work experiences that create pathways to future opportunities
- Connect young adults to providers and employers that can support their career goals
- Introduce employers to the next generation of Detroit’s workforce
- Align Detroit’s youth workforce development programs to streamline service delivery and improve outcomes.
This summer’s program will also have young people working directly with the city, with 90 participants working across 21 City of Detroit departments.
“Our young folk are intellectually gifted, and have the skill sets to make meaningful contributions in any profession,” said Detroit City Council Member Mary Waters in a press release. “What we missed are opportunities to actually enter the workplace, and to be exposed to workplace expectations. This program cultivates strong work ethic, emotional intelligence, and career development needed for navigating the world of work.
This year’s experiences will run until mid-August.
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