Hogsett announces Project Indy program to employ teens
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Mayor Joe Hogsett introduced Project Indy on Wednesday.
Project Indy will use resources from private and non-profit sectors to provide job training, internships and employment opportunities to Indianapolis teens.
The program will begin this summer.
“Together with our non-profit and corporate partners, Project Indy will give hundreds of local young people job experience, useful skills, and productive alternatives to crime and gangs, ” said Mayor Hogsett. “By leveraging our city’s current standalone programs and convening community stakeholders in a visible, coordinated effort, we will be able to better serve the children of our city for years to come at no additional cost to taxpayers.”
The announcement was made at TeenWorks. Representatives from the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, youth job providers and community partners joined the mayor for the announcement of “Project Indy” to help create and foster jobs for Indy teens.
Mayor Hogsett’s announcement came after EmployIndy, Marion County’s workforce development board was awarded nearly $2 million from the United State Department of Labor as part of the Summer Jobs and Beyond program.
The money will be used to expand YouthWorks Indy, a program expected to enhance and unify existing summer employment programs and provide year-round work readiness training and work experiences.
YouthWorks Indy, which will launch this summer, will bring together an assortment of partners. It will include: TeenWorks, Marion County Commission on Youth, Indy Public Safety Foundation, Indianapolis Park Department, The Crossing School, The Excel Center, Christel House DORS, Washington and Warren Township Adult Education, YouthBuild Indy, WorkOne Indy, Indiana Black Expo and several allied employers.
According to the release, the city has identified more than 1,000 employment opportunities for teens including: TeenWorks, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Groundwork Indy and Department of Parks and Recreation.
Young adults will earn a minimum of $8 per hour, for a minimum of 20 – 32 hours per week. The program expects to enroll 834 participants by 2018 with a long-term enhancement plan to provide employment to 4,000 youth and young adults by 2019.
Teens interested in applying for unfilled positions can do so here.