Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution authorizes the Community Development Division to amend various purchase of services contracts for the purpose of expanding youth employment initiatives. The Community Development Division’s 2016 Adopted Operating Budget authorized $200,000 for a Private Sector Youth Employment Internship Program and $150,000 for a Technical Assistance Job Training Program for youth and low income individuals. This resolution will authorize the full $200,000 for youth employment expansion and $40,000 of the $150,000 for technical assistance job training. The remaining balance of $110,000 will be allocated later in 2016.
Budget authority is included in the following MUNIS accounts:
$150,000 62220-54820-00000
$200,000 62224-54820-00000
Title
Authorizing the City of Madison, through its Community Development Division, to amend various purchase of service contracts to include programs selected via a competitive RFP process, for the purpose of expanding youth employment initiatives.
Body
BACKGROUND
Federal statistics indicate that the Great Recession affected youth more severely than any other demographic. Recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures put youth unemployment rates above 50%. Unemployment rates for minority youth and those from low income families are even higher, and are likely to persist as more adults seek part-time low-skill jobs traditionally occupied by teens.
While the overall four-year graduation rate for Madison Metropolitan School District in 2013-2014 stood at 79.2%, 44.2% of Black students, 30.1% of Hispanic students, and 22.8% of students of two or more races graduated within four years. Additionally, 29.8% of individuals with less than a high school education live below the poverty level in Madison, as opposed to 5.1% of individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher (as of 2014).
High quality jobs and internships are one strategy to address the opportunity gap experienced by youth facing barriers to succe...
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