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Young people looking for employment and organizations working to help them develop job skills will receive a financial boost over the next year.
During a gathering at SBCS Center of Impact in Chula Vista Wednesday, County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe announced $4.22 million in San Diego Workforce Partnership grants for SBCS, San Diego State University Research Foundation, the International Rescue Committee, and Climb Hire for outreach to more than 500 young people ages 14 to 24 over the next year with “paid work experience, job training, and career exploration.”
“Behind each grant is a young person filling out their first job application, someone walking into a workplace for the first time, wondering if they belong, someone hoping that one opportunity could change the direction of their life — because sometimes it can,” said Steppe, who chairs the SDWP policy board
“A first job provides a paycheck, but a first opportunity provides something even more important. It builds confidence. It creates purpose. It tells a young person, ‘You belong here.’ That is the power of this investment. It is not simply preparing young people for work. It is helping them discover what they are capable of,” she said.
According to a SDWP study, in South County, “youth unemployment reaches 31% and rises to 35% in West Chula Vista and National City. In East County, home to more than half of the county’s youth refugee population, the graduation rate is lowest among students at 81%, while the dropout rate is highest at nearly 12%.”
“In Southeast San Diego, Encanto and Skyline, youth unemployment reaches 24%. In North County, fewer than six in 10 students in Vista graduate from high school, while a third drop out.”
