CITY SEEKS TO REINVENT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

SOMERVILLE –Applications are now available for the “Pocket Change” pilot
program, designed to help low-income young adults, aged 18-24, gain
full-time employment with local employers, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and
the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development announced
today—and businesses, residents and community partners are encouraged to
participate and help put the City’s youth on a path to prosperity.

On Tuesday, May 20, and Wednesday, June 4, the City of Somerville, the
Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) and The Career Place will host
information sessions for 18-24 year olds interested in this program.
Today, Tuesday, May 20, the program presentation and intake session will
be from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at SCC, 337 Somerville Ave., 2nd Floor. The
Wednesday, June 4, information session will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., at
the same location.

This cross-sector collaborative effort includes local community partners
SCC and The Career Place, as well as many Somerville businesses
including Bent Electric, the Cambridge Health Alliance, the Holiday Inn,
Greentown Labs and Sproot.

Designed in response to employer need and eagerness to hire trained
local residents, the pilot takes a new approach to workforce
development, through which youth are introduced to employment through a
series of “micro-level” jobs around town. These jobs provide a bit of
“pocket change” to youth while they simultaneously participate in a
series of soft-skill workshops that focus on job readiness skills, such
as interviewing, resume writing and group dynamics. As youth move
through the different tiers of the program, career counselors will play
an active role in helping to match them with full-time employment
opportunities. The City is committed to providing this training at
no-cost to Somerville’s low-income youth. Funding for this pilot is
provided through the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Working Cities
Challenge, awarded to the City in early 2014.

“The challenge facing Somerville’s low-income youth in terms of finding
employment is not unique; this is a challenge cities everywhere face.
It’s a fact that entry-level opportunities have fundamentally changed,
there’s more competition than ever,” said Mayor Curtatone. “Here in
Somerville, we’re committed to ensuring that our residents are best
equipped to access employment in the face of these challenges. We
believe that this innovative model, in which partners from across
sectors collaborate to identify opportunities and various levels of
training, will serve as a new model for youth workforce development.”

Program partners are working to identify intermediate training
opportunities for those youth who successfully complete the micro-level
jobs and soft-skill workshops. One such opportunity is a new commercial
drivers license (CDL) training program, offered in conjunction with the
City of Somerville and the Somerville Municipal Employees Association
(SMEA).

“The SMEA is excited to enter into this partnership with the Mayor and
the City that would give local underprivileged Somerville residents an
opportunity through an apprentice program to get CDL training,” said
SMEA President Ed Halloran. “It is our hope that this program will be an
example for other labor organizations and local businesses to follow in
the future. We also hope that this CDL training will lead the way to
well-paying jobs for those involved in this apprenticeship.”

How to get involved:

Businesses, residents and other community partners are encouraged to participate.

• Businesses: Do you have one-off projects or jobs where you could
  hire a Pocket Change youth for the day? Would you be willing to provide
  internships or other hands-on job opportunities? The City is also
  looking for people to provide guest lectures, mock interviews and job
  shadowing.
• Residents: Some of the best ways to earn extra Pocket Change is by
  helping others in your community. If you have one-off tasks, such as
  yard work or babysitting, please consider posting the job for a Pocket
  Change youth to complete. You will be reassured that these youth are
  working with career counselors to ensure they are prepared for
  employment.
• Community partners: Do you have experience working with youth? Do
  you already provide soft-skill training for local residents? Then, let’s
  collaborate. The City is interested in sharing resources to make sure
  training programs reach the greatest number of people as possible. We
  know that many community partners are also employers, so please see
  above for other ways to get involved.

The Working Cities Challenge is an initiative with a two-fold goal: to
advance collaborative leadership in Massachusetts’ smaller cities and to
support ambitious work to improve the lives of low-income people in
those cities.

For more information about the program, or for businesses and residents interested in participating, contact Amanda Maher, amaher@somervillema.gov or 617-625-6600 x2528, for more information.