HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8052 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No.8052
NppTaQ January 28, 1997
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 1 of 3
S
Summer Works '97 Status Report
X Subject:
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Background
Since 1983, the City of Fort Worth's Employment and Training Department, d.b.a. The
Working Connection, has been providing summer work experience and basic education
services for youth under the Job Training Partnership Act. Since 1995, in addition to the
federally funded summer youth employment program, The Working Connection has been
administering Summer Works, a private sector initiative for 16-21 year old youth. The
Summer Works program matches youth with employers who are seeking summer
workers.
Summer Works '96
Staff from the City of Fort Worth and Tarrant County worked together to plan and
implement Summer Works '96. Staff interviewed applicants, provided pre-employment
orientation, recruited employers, took job orders and matched applicants with jobs.
Follow-up was conducted with employers to ensure that the youth referred were suitable
for the work assignments. Special effort was made to refer youth to jobs which would
expose them to career fields for which they expressed a preference. Service
organizations, such. as the Rotary Clubs, provided assistance with recruitment of
employers. During the summer of 1996, a total of 226 employers pledged 703 jobs.
Program placements grew from 54 in 1995 to 525 in 1996, a tenfold increase. Summer
jobs led to long term full or part-time employment for 292 youth who continued to work
after the end of the summer.
City council allocated $54,340 from the general fund to cover the operating expenses of
the program. Cost per participant entering employment was $103.
Summer Works '97 (Proposed)
We anticipate that participation in Summer Works '97 will increase in 1997 based on the
experience of the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program in Dallas county and
other similar programs, despite the fact that funding will be available for summer youth
work experience through JTPA. There are several reasons for this: 1) Slimmer Works '97
primarily offers better than minimum wage employment rather than public sector work
experience which is always reimbursed at minimum wage; 2) many different types of jobs
are available; 3) there are no economic eligibility guidelines to meet; and 4) since it is not
a federally funded program, paperwork requirements for participation are
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ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGFR FOOT WnPTW TF:YA.q
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No.8052
11 A;LRT&?e' January 28, 1997 0N
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 2 of 3
0 82
Subject: Summer Works '97 Status Report
Staff recommends that $65,000 be allocated to fund Summer Works '97. Should the City
Council approve the request for $65,000, staff will start recruitment activities in February,
and will incorporate two-hour pre-employment work maturity training sessions. These
sessions will be held in the afternoons at all 14 Fort Worth area high schools during the
months of February and March. After participants have attended a training session they
will be scheduled the following day for individual interviews. These interviews will also be
conducted at the school with the job developers. Recruitment efforts for out of school
youth will take place at community centers and at job fairs during February and March.
Interviews with employers should begin in mid-April and be completed by the first week in
June. Follow-up with employers and youth will be conducted during the summer months.
Recruitment efforts with employers will begin With a mailing in early February to those
employers who have participated in past years. This mailing will include the job order form
used last year. Marketing strategies will be similar to those used last year, with
newspaper, radio and chamber publications carrying information about the program. AMR%
Staff of The Working Connection are exploring foundation grants and corporate
sponsorships as a means of continuing this program as a year-round effort. However, to
implement this highly successful non-federally funded effort again this year, The Working
Connection will need to employ additional staff and cover additional operational expenses.
A proposed budget for these expenses is included in Appendix A.
ob Ter e I
C ityer
City Manager
Attachment
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER- FORT WORTH,TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8052
January 28, 1997
0`11MV,k To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 3 of 3
" k&
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Subject: Summer Works '97 Status Report
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APPENDIX A
Summer Works Budget
February 3, 1997 - August 31, 1997
Job Title Cost Per Hour Total Cost
2 Job Developer $12.89 (3/3-6/30) $18,737
1 Job Developer 12.89 (2/17-6/30) 11,900
1 Job Developer 12.89 (2/3-8/31) 11,931
1 Clerk Typist 111 8.58 (3/3-7/31) 7,550
Total Salary $50,118
Rent $4,018
Office Supplies 500
Postage 500
Telephone 2,064
Printing 500
Copies 750
Mileage 2,250
Advertising 4,300
Total Operations $14,882
Total Cost �00 0
'-- ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER------.----- -- FORT WORTH,TEXAS