Summer jobs are valuable rites of passage for teens, with many benefits:
- First-hand work experience
- Summer boredom prevention
- Cash!
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer considers summer jobs so important that ten years ago, he started SummerWorks – a program that places teens in internships and other jobs. In 2011, it had 200 participants. Last year, it was 6,900.
“We’ve set a goal to build the nation’s best talent development pipeline here in Louisville,” said Mayor Fischer, “and SummerWorks is a critical piece of that plan.”
A 2019 study by the Kentucky Center for Statistics found positive outcomes associated with SummerWorks, including higher graduation and employment rates.
Small businesses and larger corporations can support SummerWorks in two ways. They can hire a teen for the summer – or provide financial support for the city to hire teens as seasonal help.
