Mayor Mitch Landrieu's summer jobs program received a $450,000 infusion Wednesday from Goldman Sachs that will pay for 300 positions for New Orleans youth. "One of my of my top priorities is creating jobs and opportunities for young people, and this donation will help hundreds of teens and young adults build their skills and resumes this summer," Landrieu said....
Mayor Mitch Landrieu's summer jobs program received a $450,000 infusion Wednesday from Goldman Sachs that will pay for 300 positions for New Orleans youth.
"One of my of my top priorities is creating jobs and opportunities for young people, and this donation will help hundreds of teens and young adults build their skills and resumes this summer," Landrieu said. "Private partners like Goldman Sachs are helping us leverage our limited public resources for valuable programs like this one."
The NOLA Youth Works Summer Employment Program, administered through the mayor's Office of Workforce Development, is expected to serve 1,600 young people between the ages of 13 and 21. It partners with private companies and nonprofit organizations to provide teenagers and young adults with career training, community service opportunities and internships.
When Landrieu was elected in 2010, the program was on life support, said Nadiyah Coleman, director of the Office of Workforce Development. Historically these types of summer jobs programs were funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, but those grants dried up with the financial crisis of 2009, she said.
"It became a question for local areas whether to continue to do something, and because there wasn't the federal funding many areas decided to not do it," Coleman said. "Mayor Landrieu wanted to keep going, but he needed to find the money."
Landrieu has been able to keep the program alive by using city money and private donations. This year the program's budget is $2.6 million; the Goldman Sachs donation of $450,000 will allow the administration to return that same amount to the general fund.
The program's funding is used to pay young people a weekly stipend or an hourly salary of between $8 and $10 for up to 30 hours of work per week.
"This timely investment in our city's youth comes at a moment when many young people are struggling to find employment and will give thousands the opportunity to take that critical first step toward their career goals," Coleman said.