July 22, 2008 (MINNEAPOLIS)— Nearly 2000 Minneapolis youth are employed in summer jobs through the city of Minneapolis. And, there are 225 employers this summer who are employing youth and making an investment in the city and tomorrow’s workforce. A tour of workforce sites is scheduled for tomorrow (see itinerary below).

"At a time when the U.S. economy is weak and job growth is shaky, Minneapolis is rolling up its sleeves to employ as many youth as possible this summer," Mayor R.T. Rybak said. "By focusing our city resources and aggressively partnering with local businesses, we have given hundreds of Minneapolis youth valuable job experience and a little extra cash in their pockets."

"I am very pleased to report that 578 students from Minneapolis high schools have been placed in jobs this summer, including 75 at the University of Minnesota," said Dr. Robert Jones, senior vice president for system academic administration at the University of Minnesota, and the city-wide co-chair of this year's STEP-UP program, one of the programs in affiliation with the Minneapolis Mayor and City Council’s youth summer jobs campaign. "These young people are learning job skills, becoming familiar with the world of work and meeting professionals who can mentor them as they plan their futures. Having these incredible students on our campus gives me a chance to talk to them about attending the U."

Youth in the city’s summer employment programs gain so much more than wages, they gain a meaningful experience that they’ll look back on when planning for their future.

Schedule for Wednesday, July 23, Worksite Tour
8am:

8:30am: Bus departs from the Urban League
8:45am:
9:45am:
10:45am
11:30am: