Recent News

Meet Wandalee

Wandalee Spekis' Photo

Wandalee Spekis was unemployed and needed a fresh start. She always wanted to work in the cyber security field but didn’t have the training or knowledge of where to begin.   

YO Baltimore’s Pre-Adjudication Coordination and Training (PACT) Evening Reporting Center turns 10 years old

More than 1,400 youth were engaged in productive activities instead of being placed in secure detention while awaiting court date

The PACT evening reporting center annually serves 120 young men, between 14 and 17, who would otherwise be in secure detention while awaiting their court date. PACT provides them with youth development activities, creative learning projects, field trips and access to a workout center with a qualified fitness instructor. Participants are referred by the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) to Youth Opportunity (YO) Baltimore, a program operated by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development that serves 17-24-year-olds who are out of work and out of school.

Meet Talayiah

Talayia Bowen

Talayia has had to adhere to her own advice in order to get where she is today. After years of struggling, including bouts of homelessness, she has earned her GED and several certifications, attends college and is gainfully employed in the IT  industry.

 

Mayor Pugh Announces Baltimore Youth Offered Record Number of Summer Jobs

Several thousand of the 8,300 YouthWorks participants begin working during the first of two, five-week summer sessions

Today more than 7,000 Baltimore City youth and young adults, ages 14-21, will start working at hundreds of YouthWorks summer job sites. Operated by Mayor Catherine E. Pugh’s Office of Employment Development, YouthWorks has provided more summer employment opportunities in 2017 than ever before thanks to the impressive public-private support from government, businesses, foundations and individuals.

33 Baltimore City Students to Graduate from Youth Opportunity (YO) Baltimore Programs

Students previously disconnected from school and work earn diplomas and face a brighter future 

Youth Opportunity (YO) Baltimore will host a special graduation event for its 2017 class of 33 teens and young adults who chose to pursue alternative education after facing challenges in traditional school settings on Wednesday, June 21, 2017.

 

Meet Regina

Regina Webster Photo

After graduating from Morgan State University, Regina Webster got married, relocated to Florida and worked at various construction companies in her area. She later returned to Baltimore due to unexpected family circumstances and found herself out of work. 

Mayor’s Office of Employment Development Supports Visit Baltimore’s Tourism Career Pathways & Resource Fair

MOED staff on-hand to lead workshops and assist job seekers with workforce development resources and job applications as part of Baltimore Tourism Week

Today, workforce professionals from the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development and more than 20 employers from Baltimore’s tourism industry are hosting workshops, providing job preparation resources and conducting interviews at Visit Baltimore’s Tourism Career Pathways & Resource Fair at the Columbus Center, 701 E. Pratt Street, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Meet Na'Thaia

Na'Thaia

Na’Thaia applied for a summer job through YouthWorks and was invited to be part of the Hire One Youth initiative, the private-sector component of Baltimore City’s summer jobs program. She didn’t really feel like attending the required job readiness training and figured that she would most likely be offered something through YouthWorks. “My sister received her worksite assignment promptly, and for weeks after that I still didn’t know if I would be offered a job at all. 

Mayor Catherine E. Pugh Announces YouthWorks Leadership Circle to Help Support Summer Jobs for Youth

Baltimore Gas and Electric CEO Calvin Butler shares BGE’s commitment to preparing the future workforce

Today, Mayor Catherine E. Pugh was joined by leaders from Baltimore City’s business and philanthropic communities to announce the formation of the YouthWorks Leadership Circle. This group, comprised of local stakeholders committed to the importance of youth employment, will help promote the need for donations and the identification of worksites to support Baltimore’s 2017 summer jobs program.

Meet Darian

Darian Boone

In 2010 Darian Boone stopped going to school at Merganthaler Vocational – Technical High School (Mervo) for a variety of reasons; Mervo just wasn’t a good match for him. Darian spent several years trying to get back into a Baltimore City public school until he became too old to enroll. 

During those years Darian was employed most of the time, working in restaurants and as a banquet server for Centerplate at the Baltimore Convention Center. Then he realized, “I need more of an education to advance my pay rate; I need to get motivated.” 

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