A New Generation is Entering the Workforce

Filling entry-level positions in the future

In an age of disconnected youth and “experience necessary” for entry-level jobs, it is absolutely imperative that today’s youth get involved while they are young to help them prepare for their future. Mayor Arunan Arulampalam and the City of Hartford are tackling this issue by employing teens through their Summer Youth and Employment and Learning Program, also known as SYELP.

College Enrollment

Founded under former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, this program was created by Capital Workforce Partners and Hartford Public Schools to ensure students gain valuable work experience and stay on top of their academics. Providing young people with these opportunities to gain valuable workforce experience leads young people who feel less disconnected and better prepared to start taking steps towards their desired future. Fields available for participants to gain experience in are retail, healthcare, and education. The skills acquired while working in these positions are transferable to different aspects of life, whether it be work-related or not.

Some students partaking in this program are also finding themselves behind on the necessary number of credits needed to graduate. Thankfully for them, this program provides those students with a way of earning credits while working. This directly challenges the issue of disconnected youth by providing them with an opportunity of getting back on track academically.

The Young People First Report from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities clarifies that, “These initiatives help avoid mislabeling distracted students with behavioral and learning disabilities while equipping Connecticut’s youth with fundamental learning and vocational skills to support their chosen postsecondary pathways and achieve success in the modern workforce.”

This project was funded through a variety of contributors. The City of Hartford funded one million dollars for the youth summer employment opportunities. Other organizations that helped to fund this program are the Capital Workforce Partners, Connecticut Department of Labor, and The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The state has also budgeted money so that the program can operate. This experience will last from July 2nd to August 31st and will help the youths of Hartford gain career skills and confidence that will help them advance in the future.

Ultimately, the Summer Youth and Employment Learning Program allows for the youths in the Hartford community to grow and learn the valuable skills that they will carry in many different aspects of life. It enables the youths of Hartford to gain real-world experience and catch up on academics if need be. Employers also get the opportunity to work with and train the next generation of workers — some of whom might just be the right fit for future entry-level positions. Employers having this opportunity also allows for them to have a large talent pool to select from when filling entry-level positions in the future.