Join Us in Hiring L.A. Youth for the Summer and Throughout the Year

by Gary Toebben

Last week, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles County Supervisors Hilda Solis and Don Knabe kicked off this summer’s HIRE-LA’s Youth campaign by thanking Los Angeles County businesses for the summer youth employment and internship opportunities they provide. The Chamber has been a partner with the City and County of L.A. for a decade in championing youth employment and internships opportunities because we recognize the powerful economic impact on individual families and the prosperity of our region.   

In May, Professor Paul Harrington, Director of Drexel University's Center for Labor Markets and Policy released a report "Declining Youth Disconnection in Los Angeles" citing a welcomed reduction in the total number of disconnected youth in the L.A. region. Disconnected youth are those who are not in school and not working. We’ve made progress but there’s still much work to do. 

The City and County of L.A. established the goal of employing 15,000 youth this summer and have expanded their outreach with the Chamber to more businesses to expose youths to career pathways in the private sector. For example, the South LA Scholars initiative provides paid work experience for South Los Angeles students enrolled in healthcare-themed high schools, like Foshay Learning Center. The initiative is designed to connect low-income students to meaningful summer internships. Host partners such as Kaiser Permanente, Eisner Pediatric and St. John’s are helping youth develop the skills to secure future employment in the health care sector.

Dozens of businesses like Metro, UPS, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Parsons, Cox Castle & Nicholson, Susan Barilich, Metropolitan Water District, NBCUniversal, Smart and Final, Delta Airlines Vons, a Safeway Company, have been champions in providing paid summer internships and employment opportunities. The City and County of Los Angeles have also joined with other partners, including the Chamber and LAUSD in the Opportunity Youth Collaborative which provides work opportunities for foster youth. 

The Chamber assists in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process and matches work-ready applicants with your specific needs. Participating business employers have access to pre-screened, pre-qualified applicants through the Chamber’s Work Readiness Certification process. HIRE LA’s Youth applicants are recruited throughout L.A. County and the Chamber provides them with the opportunity to earn a Work Readiness Certificate by participating in class work and a mock interview to demonstrate they are work-ready. 

The demand for summer youth jobs and seasonal hiring of youths is greater than the supply. Please consider joining us in this effort to give our young people the opportunity to learn through work. Join Mayor Garcetti and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors by contacting Maria Dolores Nieto at the Chamber at 213.580.7599. You can help make the difference of a lifetime for young adults in L.A. City and County.

And that's The Business Perspective.