'180' hopes to help at-risk youths get jobs
By: JOHN ANASTASI
Bucks County Courier Times
Calling Monday a "benchmark day" in the Bucks County Workforce Investment Board's history, executive director Liz Walsh unveiled a new effort to match at-risk youth with potential employers.
The "180: Helping Bucks County Youth Turn it Around" endeavor reboots its Helping 100 program. The idea - offering businesses incentives to hire youth center program participants - is not new. But the 180 initiative adds a cutting edge, multimedia marketing effort to appeal to businesses and young people.
"We need to engage them in a way that's going to get them in the door on their own terms," said Walsh, who launched the initiative Monday at the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce office in Falls.
The board spent more than a year developing the campaign with Mangos Inc., a Malvern ad agency that donated its services to the project. They came up with a new Web site - - and a plan to spread the word through posters, ads and youth-targeted marketing on Facebook, YouTube and MySpace.
The ads use the tagline "You can't buy a future on $7.25 an hour." WIB board members said they hope they draw at-risk young people - those who dropped out of high school and aren't working - to take part in PA CareerLink Bucks County Youth Center programs, which are designed to prepare them for employment.
"We want to make it understood that it is not a risk to hire these 'at risk' young people because all participants are '180' participants," Walsh said.
About 100 area businesses have signed up to be part of the program. Some will send employees to the youth center to talk to the students about what they do for a living. Others will agree to offer everything from job-shadowing programs to full-time employment opportunities when they're available.
To reward the businesses that hire the young people, the board will reimburse companies for half of what they pay the workers for the first six months. Youth center officials also would assist them by recommending applicants they feel are ready to work and whose skills are a good fit for the company.
Tom Calkins, vice president of Bristol Township's Railway Specialties Corp., has used the program to hire workers in the past. Five are still employed there. Only one wasn't hired after the six months ended and one decided not to stay with the company, Calkins said.
"Funding pays half their wages for six months so you feel like you're not in this by yourself," said Calkins, who added that the company is not taking all the risk.
Croydon's Nate Adams said the program helped him land a job during the fall with the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps.
(Without it) I'd be right where I was," he said. "It was a stepping stone for me. It was like someone gave me a kick. It really did help me."
The board chose the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce to announce the revamped program Monday in the hopes that businesses would take note of the initiative and consider taking part. Representatives from several said they planned to do just that after hearing about it.
"At-risk youth can find more than a job here," said Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-8, who added that the young people also could find a career and make a living.
"This is good for the youth. It's good for the employer and it's great for the community. You can't grow your industry without cultivating a pipeline of young workers. That has to be a priority, even in this recession."
December 15, 2009 02:00 AM