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The Youth Employment Project is a community-wide collaborative that works with businesses, nonprofits, community organizations, and government agencies to connect young adults to job experiences. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 2.6 million young adults unemployed in the United States between the ages of 16 to 24. To better align each young adult’s career interest, the Workforce Alliance (WA) is currently seeking more business partnerships to grow our network of employers.

Charlie interned with the Wichita City Council and Mayor Lily Wu's office. View his story below

Why Are YEP Participants More Equipped For The Workplace?

Participants in YEP complete a comprehensive series of workshops covering Financial Literacy, Customer Service, Employment Planning, Job Fair Etiquette, and Essential Skills. The workshops are designed to develop the participant’s soft skills before they are placed in a work experience. These developmental skills make a difference when placing young adults in their first job experience. In fact, soft skills actually account for 85% of a business’s financial success. Soft skills also account for 90% of the difference between a star performer and an average one. They are also the single biggest predictor of performance in the workplace. YEP participants have an 84% retention rate to date.

How Can YEP Help Your Business?

  Staff will be assigned to support the employer before, during, and after the work experience.

  Provide one-on-one assistance by tailoring a specific job description based on your current position needs

   YEP staff will handle the onboarding process and payroll eliminating time that would be imposed on your staff

   Coordinate interview dates and times saving you time

   Provide a pool of candidates with specific interests in your business industry

   YEP will assign a job coach to work with each young adult to improve, learn, and grow throughout their work experience.

What is an internship?   

Through internships, students gain real-world experience and skills by actively participating in workplace projects and tasks during a period of on-the-job training and professional development with a company or organization.

Isn't an internship a lot of work for my business?

No, however, an internship program does require planning, and the Youth Employment Project can provide guidance and support to businesses in designing, planning, and finding students for the internship.

To get started, please fill out the YEP Employer Interest Form

How long would my business have an intern?   

Internship length is often customized to align with business needs and the student's availability. A typical internship is 3–8 weeks over the summer. The Youth Employment Project recommends starting with a small project-based internship or a departmental internship where the student sees several departments over the course of the internship.  This can help define clear goals for your business and your interns.

Is my business too small to offer an internship?   

No, businesses of all sizes can offer internships. In fact, offering internships can be a valuable opportunity for small businesses to gain extra help and fresh perspectives while providing students with valuable work experience. It is important to clearly define the scope and responsibilities of the internship to ensure it aligns with your business's needs and resources. No, an internship opportunity can be offered regardless of the size of the company, and any type of work the interns do will help them build skills.  

My business is at capacity, and I can’t start an internship right now.  

Rather than building a company initiative from scratch, consider partnering with existing nonprofits like the Youth Employment Project, a workforce development organization that can strategically place student interns in your departments, just as you would hire contractors for project work. This internship program also serves as a trial period to evaluate promising talent for future hiring.

Will these interns have the technical skills to perform certain tasks? 

By partnering with the Youth Employment Project, you can ensure that the interns placed in your departments have undergone training and possess the necessary technical skills for specific tasks. This way, you can be confident in their ability to contribute effectively to your business without the need for extensive training. While working with the Youth Employment Project, they can ensure their interns have the specific skill set required to meet your business needs. Many high school students have completed several technical classes and obtained valuable skills before they even graduate.

Will these students know how to act on the job?   

By participating in the Youth Employment Internship Program, students are given the opportunity to gain practical experience and apply the skills they have learned in the workshops. This hands-on experience allows them to further refine their communication and time management abilities, making them even more valuable assets to future employers. Additionally, this proactive approach by both students and employers fosters a culture of continuous learning and professional development within the youth employment sector. It is not solely up to employers to initiate this process.