City of Baltimore Celebrates Young Adults Employed Through Public-Private Career Mentoring Pilot Program

FOR ASSIGNMENT: Thursday, December 3, 2015; 12-2 p.m.
CONTACTS: Jennifer Combs, DPW, 410-545-6541, Jennifer.Combs@baltimorecity.gov
Brice Freeman, MOED, 410-396-1910, bfreeman@oedworks.com
 

City of Baltimore Celebrates Young Adults Employed Through Public-Private Career Mentoring Pilot Program

DPW, MOED Partnered with Private Employers to Prepare Youth for Entry-Level Jobs, Long-term Careers in the Water Industry

Baltimore, Maryland (November 25, 2015) – Baltimore City’s Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) and Department of Public Works (DPW), together with the Chesapeake Water Environment Association (CWEA), will celebrate on Thursday, Dec. 3 the successful completion of a pilot career mentoring program and recognize the 15 young Baltimore City residents now employed full-time because of it. DPW, MOED, and CWEA launched the Baltimore City Water Industry Youth Career Mentoring Program in January 2015 with the dual goals of educating local young adults about the water industry and its career opportunities, and developing a pipeline of future workers with the right skills to fill entry-level positions in the field. The program targeted Baltimore City residents between the ages of 18 and 24 who had their high school diploma or GED, but were unemployed or underemployed, and not engaged in postsecondary education or job training. Nineteen young people were accepted into Phase I of the program in January 2015. Of those, 16 were selected to continue to Phases II and III, and 15 successfully completed the program in September 2015. Today, all 15 are employed in full-time jobs, 13 of them within the water industry. 

 

WHEN: Thursday, December 3, 2015; 12-2 p.m. (Tentative schedule of events: arrival and lunch, 12-12:30; speakers, 12:30-1:10; presentation of certificates, 1:10-1:20; followed by group photo and closing.)

WHERE: City Hall (Curran Room, 4th floor South), 100 Holliday St, Baltimore, MD 21202.

BACKGROUND: About DPW: The Baltimore City Department of Public Works supports the health, environment, and economy of our City and region by providing customers with safe drinking water and by keeping our neighborhoods and waterways clean. DPW has a diverse, highly-skilled workforce which takes pride in serving the citizens of Baltimore City.

About MOED: The Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development is committed to building a strong workforce for our city by developing meaningful partnerships with the local business community and connecting Baltimore citizens of all ages and backgrounds with jobs and pathways to careers. In fiscal year 2015 MOED hosted more than 93,000 visits from city residents at our career center locations, connected more than 1,200 people with computer literacy training at our digital learning labs, and placed more than 9,200 individuals in jobs – including nearly 7,000 young people through the 2015 YouthWorks summer jobs program – and assisted more than 1,100 businesses through our Employ Baltimore – Ready to Work for You strategy. Please visit www.oedworks.com for more information.About CWEA: The Chesapeake Water Environment Association is dedicated to improving water quality and protecting the water environment in Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The membership is composed of professionals who operate and maintain wastewater treatment plants and collection systems; educators; engineers; scientists; designers, manufactures and representative of wastewater treatment equipment; and members of local, state and federal governments.                                                     

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