Through a collective effort involving the Maryland Stadium Authority and Baltimore City Public Schools, the City of Baltimore has engaged in a $60 million plan – the 21st Century School Building Program – to provide Baltimore City children with the modernized, technology-equipped, adaptable and shared community school buildings they deserve.

Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined representatives from Horseshoe Casino Baltimore and the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) to mark “Workforce Development Month" and to highlight the significant achievements in job placement at the Employment Connection Center (ECC) in South Baltimore.Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Horseshoe Casino Baltimore Mark “Workforce Development Month” and Highlight Significant Achievements in Hiring and Training at Employment Connection Center in South Baltimore.

When Joe Corbi’s Pizza closed in February 2015, Anita Berry found herself unemployed after working 18 years as a Production Manager for the company.  

On a stifling hot morning, a group of ten 14- and 15-year-olds huddled around a cluster of desks at Harlem Park Middle School in West Baltimore. They weren’t here for summer school—these young people were selected to participate in YouthWorks, a widely popular opportunity among local teens looking for jobs from June to August. This year, a record 9,400 youth applied to participate.

Placed at Baltimore City schools, the youngest YouthWorks participants earned an hourly wage as they maintained a clean campus and helped school administrators with special projects. This year, instead of getting straight to work each morning, youth spent a few hours learning and practicing life skills with a small group of peers. They trained using Passport to Success® (PTS), the IYF curriculum that has prepared more than 100,000 young people in over 40 countries for productive employment. This new connection to Baltimore youth comes as the result of a partnership with the Mayor’s Office for Employment Development and the Family League.