The White House Announces Federal and Private Sector Commitments to Provide Employment Opportunities for Nearly 180,000 Youth

The White House announced Summer Jobs+, a new call to action for businesses, non-profits, and government to work together to provide pathways to employment for low-income and disconnected youth in the summer of 2012.

President Barack Obama proposed $1.5 billion for high-impact summer jobs and year-round employment for low-income youth ages 16-24 in the American Jobs Act as part of the Pathways Back to Work fund. When Congress failed to act, the Federal government and private sector came together to commit to creating nearly 180,000 employment opportunities for low-income youth in the summer of 2012, with a goal of reaching 250,000 employment opportunities by the start of summer, at least 100,000 of which will be placements in paid jobs and internships.

Commitments Announced Include:

• AT&T is committed to providing nearly 350 summer jobs in 2012 through a variety of summer job initiatives.
• CenturyLink has had summer internship programs for more than 25 years and looks forward to participating in Summer Jobs+ in 2012.
• Discovery Communications provides multiple avenues for young people to discover a summer job and a lasting career.
• LinkedIn has committed to offer 200 internships in the summer of 2012.
• Viacom has committed to provide internship and mentorship programs to connect youth to employment opportunities.