How LeadersUp Celebrates Labor Day
Historically, Labor Day is a day where we celebrate the contributions and achievements of the American worker. While we do hear stories of success, such as the United States economy adding on average 190,000 jobs per month this summer[1], we must not forget that 5.5 million young adults between the ages of 18-24 are currently unemployed and looking for work.
This past week, LeadersUp celebrated Labor Day early through the launch of our first Cintas Training and Job Screening in Compton. As Compton continues to be hampered with high unemployment rates compared to the rest of the nation, local young adults seized on the opportunity to work as they participated in mock interviews and strengthened their resumes in preparation for interviews with Cintas.
Young adults were taught critical employment skills including how to dress for success, the importance of being on time, how to write an effective resume and successfully be interviewed. At the end of the training students were evaluated on their readiness and were provided with real-time feedback and guidance on how to improve and move forward for upcoming employment opportunities in their communities.
Bridging the talent-divide is what keeps the LeadersUp network committed.
Every day LeadersUp, in partnership with Talent Development Partners and Employer Partners take on the order of finding solutions to bridge the talent-divide in communities like Compton, South LA, Oakland and Chicago.
In the coming months, we will continue to double up on our initiatives across our markets to create more sustainable pathways to employment for young adults. In the Bay Area, we continue our work to connect young men of color to employment pathways through the Bay Area Young Men of Color Employment Project. In the Los Angeles and the Chicago region, we continue to build customized training-models with employers who are investing in opportunity youth such as Cintas, C.H. Robinson and LBP Manufacturing.
This Fall we will implement our second Opportunity Blitz – an on-the-spot hiring event for young adults, organized in collaboration with Talent Development Partners in the Los Angeles region, to increase access to local employment opportunities. More details to come on this initiative soon.
This Labor Day take a moment to reflect on how you can invest in opportunity youth.
It’s important to reflect on the opportunities that we can continue to drive for the future of our workforce. As we look at the number of jobs created during the recession recovery we find that over 95% of jobs have gone to workers with at least some college education while those with a high school diploma are being left behind[2]. We need to not only invest in employment opportunities for young adults, but also advancement opportunities that will allow for long term financial security and a thriving economy.
[1] Here’s Why Friday’s Jobs Report Will Be Huge for the Markets
