Mayor s Youth Employment Initiative Employer Challenge Subcommittee Frequently Asked Questions

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1 Mayor s Youth Employment Initiative Employer Challenge Subcommittee Frequently Asked Questions Mayor Murray s Youth Employment Initiative What is the Mayor s Youth Employment Initiative? Mayor Murray s Youth Employment Initiative is a public/private commitment to increase employment and internship opportunities for Seattle youth, to give young people the chance to gain essential knowledge and skills for academic and professional success, build professional networks, and connect their contributions to the region s economy. The Mayor has brought together a Task Force around this initiative to increase youth access to jobs and internships. What are the Mayor s goals for his Youth Employment Initiative? Connect more young people with paid internship and jobs, beginning with 2,000 opportunities this year and building to be comparable to cities like San Francisco and Boston, which serve between 7,500 and 10,000 youth annually. Create better systems for connecting youth with employers, through a one-stop shop and web portal to streamline access and internship/job matchmaking. Why is youth employment important? Seattle s youth unemployment rate is at a historically high level 13% which is three times the region s average. For young African American residents, the unemployment rate is even higher 28%. Currently, there are over 6,000 Seattle youth, ages 16-24, who do not currently hold a job, attend school, or have a degree beyond high school. That many students would more than fill four of Seattle s largest high schools. Employers, especially those who need workers, can show young people how to connect what they are learning in school to the world of work and augment what they are learning. Finding and keeping a job is a key step in a young person s transition to adult and economic selfsufficiency. Employer Challenge and Subcommittee Roles and Responsibilities How will the Employer Challenge Subcommittee help to meet the Mayor s goals? The Employer Challenge subcommittee is leading the campaign to secure 500 paid youth internships/employment opportunities as part of the Mayor s Youth Employment Initiative for

2 How much time do employers have to recruit their colleagues to participate in the 500 expanded job opportunities? In the short-term, for the Seattle Youth Employment Program, we would like to identify all employers willing to participate in the summer by April 27. We will continue to recruit employers for year-round opportunities after the Summer Youth deadline. What jobs are the focus of this effort? What jobs will be counted toward the goal of 2,000? We are focused on new paid employment opportunities at the City or with private sector, nonprofits, or other public sector employers. We are talking about: Regular jobs (full and part-time); Paid internships; and/or Work study. How long will the Youth Employment Initiative be working on recruiting new employers? For this summer s Youth Employment Program, the subcommittee will be recruiting new employers for 20 days, until April 27. We would like subcommittee members to continue to promote youth employment as we are also seeking to grow the number of work opportunities for youth in the City s year round program and expand youth employment opportunities next year and beyond. We will be asking for employers to help again next spring for the 2016 Seattle Youth Employment Program. SEATTLE S YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM (SYEP) Which youth are the focus for this effort? All young people between the ages of 14-24, with an emphasis on low-income youth. What is the current internship opportunity? The City s Seattle Youth Employment Program begins July 1 th. These 7-week internships provide 25 hours per week, a total of 175 hours. Most interns range in age from 16 to 21 years. They receive job readiness training prior to, and during, their internship placement and are eligible to receive supports, such as bus tickets, work attire, etc. Will these youth have barriers to employment? Some youth may be new to the world of work, and will receive job readiness training prior to coming to work sites. In addition, all the young people in the program will be partnered with a youth development counselor to help them be successful. We recognize young people are learning and growing as they progress into adulthood, and having a work experience is a critical element in their overall development. This program is designed to match employers with youth appropriate for their worksite. 2

3 What type of work can an intern do? Or what is the range of skills I can expect from an intern? Youth can perform a variety of duties from basic entry-level to intermediate-level skills, depending on their age and prior experience. Some illustrative examples include: assisting staff with basic office tasks such as data entry and filing; communications and social media support; preparing and distributing information for community outreach; supporting childcare or educational providers in setting up daily activities; sorting and stocking shelves for a retailer; and supporting gardening or landscaping staff. Some tasks are prohibited by age (e.g. youth under the age of 18 cannot operate a woodworking power tool, meat slicer, regularly drive motor vehicles or work alone after 8 pm without adult supervision. See more detailed list at: City staff will actively work with the employer and youth to ensure a good match of needs and experience. At the same time, it is important for employers to have the capacity to mentor/supervise their intern(s) so that they receive a meaningful work experience. How will I be supported if I take on an intern? Employers will receive an orientation prior to the start of the internship and are able to receive coaching support from Youth Employment Counselors. Will I need to pay the City s minimum wage? Yes. If the City participates in Seattle s Youth Employment Program, all employers will pay the current minimum wage applicable to it under the City s minimum wage ordinance ($11/hr. for most employers). Employers will receive support from SYEP in the form of recruitment, assessment, support services, case management and coaching. In addition, the City will also be responsible for payroll, insurance, and liability for the internship placement. More detailed information for employers about the Seattle Youth Internship Program Do I have to provide full-time supervision? You need to provide supervision for up to 25 hours per week the youth intern is at your worksite. Do I have to follow any special rules to participate in the program? Typically, the same employee rules and expectations that apply to your regular employees will apply to the intern, subject to Washington State laws regarding Teen Labor (see link above). In order to set up the internship at your worksite -- if you do not already have an established internship program -- you will need to provide clear work duties, complete the paper work to receive an intern (criminal background check, etc.), obtain a youth work permit if your intern is under 18 years old, and have the same liability insurance as you do for your regular employees. Youth Work Permit applications can be completed on-line at Washington State s business license link: 3

4 What happens if a young person is injured while working onsite at my company? Am I liable? The same liability insurance you have for your regular employees would apply to the intern. Do I have to provide the intern meals or access to lunch? You are not responsible for providing lunch. The interns will handle their lunch. What happens if an intern asks for time off during the internship? Time off requests need to be planned, requested and approved by the intern s supervisor. Can I apply my same work place expectations to the youth intern? The youth intern is subject to the same work place expectations, keeping in mind that the internship is providing work readiness development and the youth may need coaching. Are there any special considerations I should know about when hosting a youth intern? Are there any restrictions I should know about? If your intern is 16 or 17 years old, you will need to obtain a minor work permit which is easy to do. There is an online application that takes minutes to complete, with a typical 2 business day turnaround. Complete a Business License Application online EMPLOYER OPTIONS What are other ways an employer can get involved? Private employers can also get involved by increasing youth opportunities in the following ways: Hiring a youth (16-24 year olds) in a permanent, temporary, or part-time position; Expanding its own internship program or increase their financial support of a youth organization s program; or Hosting a work site tour or job panel. If I contribute dollars in lieu of taking on an intern, what does this investment support? A contribution of $2,600 sponsors one youth internship from July 1 st to August 19 th. Is it tax deductible? A contribution in lieu of employing an intern will be treated as a donation. 4

5 How will my support of the Mayor s Seattle Youth Employment Program be recognized? The Mayor will formally recognize all employers who provide a paid internship opportunity for summer youth at a Community Announcement in May/June and a Capstone event in August, celebrating the summer youth internship opportunity. The Mayor will also be providing an electronic badge recognizing an employer s contribution to his Youth Employment Initiative. I still have questions or want to learn more, about: Seattle Youth Employment Program: Angel Lopez, Human Services Department, , Angel.Lopez@Seattle.gov Mayor s Youth Employment Initiative: Nancy Yamamoto, Office of Economic Development, , Nancy.Yamamoto@Seattle.gov 5

6 2015 Internship Types and Essential Responsibilities Childcare - essential responsibilities may include: assist staff in organizing day camp activities; interact with campers and participate in activities; assist preparation and set up of daily activities; assist clean up and serve lunch and snacks; attend and assist in supervising field trips. Community Outreach - essential responsibilities may include: assist staff with creating memos, letters and reports in Microsoft Word; attend weekly meetings to gain knowledge about the department and to participate in discussions; assist staff with setting up events; work with staff and community members to understand the specific project you are assigned. Customer Service - essential responsibilities include: provide customer service: greet and assist patrons; work at cashier counting cash and recording sales; take inventory of merchandise; perform custodial duties including set-up and clean-up. Education Assistant - essential responsibilities include: assist instructor during class; set up and clean up daily; participate in program activities; set up and distribute sack lunch. Food Service - essential responsibilities may include: sort, stack and stock shelves; assist staff by distributing to clients; help with maintenance of warehouse such as sweeping, mopping, and other tasks. Information Technology - essential responsibilities may include: support staff to provide technical support of desktop and laptop computers; tablets, smart phones, cell phones, and printers. Support includes installation and testing of computer systems, tablets, smart phones within established guidelines and procedures. Library Aide - essential responsibilities include: sort books accurately; inspect materials; bar code and relabel materials; shift and move materials; mailing of materials and books. Medical Services - essential responsibilities may include: assist in the care of residents with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, organizing, making bed, and giving meals; complete and compile charts; file medical records. Office Assistance - essential responsibilities may include: answer multiline phone and assist customers with questions; enter data and format or analyze data in Microsoft Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Office applications, conduct research on various documents and on the web; set up and attend various department meetings; assist with managing incoming documents, invoices, or files. Outdoor/Gardening - essential responsibilities include: weeding, pruning, planting, watering, and compost building; work to manage grounds using proper gardening tools and equipment. 6

7 Outreach - essential responsibilities include: interact with and disseminate information to the community; research and prepare information for presentations; help create and distribute flyers; assist with set up and clean up at events; assist with office duties. Programming - essential responsibilities include: assist with programming needs of organizations; contribute to planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating programs, services, and activities; ensue facilities, equipment and supplies are maintained and clean specific areas as requested. Skill Trade - essential responsibilities include: gain introduction to specific skilled trades such as plumbing landscaping, carpentry, welding, etc.; learn to safety use and maintain tools. Assist laborer staff on grounds clean up and maintenance; learn to test, evaluate, and repair items in trade. 7