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YouthWorks program looking to employ thousands

3,000 applicants still need jobs
Posted at 5:57 PM, May 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-16 18:07:17-04

Baltimore City’s YouthWorks program starts in June, but thousands of applicants are still without summer employment. 

Each year YouthWorks matches thousands of applicants between 14 and 21 to five-week summer jobs throughout the region.

This year more than 16,000 people applied, more than double the average. More than 11,000 applicants were accepted, but only 8,000 have been matched to jobs. 

In 2017, YouthWorks put nearly 9,000 people to work. With the number of applicants up, Mayor Catherine Pugh is asking more businesses to help the program. 

"We know that with all of the activity that's going on in our city, the one thing that we want to make sure we're doing is meeting the needs of our young people," said Pugh. 

Prospective employers can interview and hire from a pool of job seekers. The program is also accepting donations. Each placement costs about 16-hundred dollars.