Campaign Encouraging Small Businesses to Pledge Support for our Nation̢??‰?s Youth Exceeds Expectations

Washington, DC̢??‰۝As part of Small Business Majority̢??‰?s national sign-on campaign ̢??‰?? supported by The Rockefeller Foundation ̢??‰?? 153 small business owners nationwide have committed to creating professional opportunities for young people to help bridge the gap between youth who are out of school and out of work, and small businesses having a hard time filling entry-level positions.

̢???I signed this pledge because I̢??‰?m committed to creating opportunities for hard working young people who want to break into my field and build their career in engineering,̢???? said Lisa Goodbee, owner of Goodbee and Associates in Centennial, Co. ̢???A year and a half ago, I hired one of my engineers right out of school. At first it was a little bit of a challenge, as most of my staff are senior level engineers, but it̢??‰?s ended up being a supremely rewarding experience for me and a cost-effective one for my business. Often times, I think small business owners forget that by hiring someone right out of school, they can save money on payroll. Further, they have a fresh, excited worker who they can mold into the type of professional that best fits their company. Everyone benefits.̢????

Nearly five years have passed since the end of the Great Recession, yet more than 6 million young Americans are out of school and out of work̢??‰۝a staggering number that negatively affects economic demand and hurts small businesses. At the same time, small employers express concerns about filling their entry-level talent pipelines.

̢???Small Business Majority is working to help solve this problem by getting small businesses̢??‰۝our No. 1 job creators̢??‰۝involved in helping develop new sources of skilled entry-level talent, expand opportunities for youth who are out of school and out of work, and invest in our communities,̢???? said Jarvez Hall, Workforce Initiatives Manager for Small Business Majority. ̢???We have already surpassed our original goal of 100 pledges by securing more than 150 small business owners̢??‰? commitment of support in just a few months.̢????

̢???The Rockefeller Foundation believes employers, from major corporations to small and medium sized businesses, can play an important role in supporting young peoples̢??‰? entry into the workforce. We are committed to engaging employers to address youth unemployment̢??‰?? a problem that disproportionately impacts poor and vulnerable young people,̢???? said Abigail Carlton, associate director at The Rockefeller Foundation. ̢???By employing more youth in career-building jobs, employers can meet their business needs, help build a stronger, more resilient workforce, and ultimately contribute to a more inclusive economy.̢????

The pledge asks small business owners to commit to taking one or more actions during the next two to three years to create opportunities for our youth, including:

• Increasing the number of opportunity youth (youth who are disconnected from school and work) hires within their company;
• Expanding full or part-time intern or apprenticeship placements for opportunity youth within their company;
• Adopting or expanding a high-quality mentoring program for local opportunity youth;
• Partnering with nonprofit training providers to create a new employee mentoring, job-shadowing and recruiting program;
• Partnering with a local nonprofit or education system to identify opportunity youth to fill entry-level positions in their business; and
• Working with one of their company̢??‰?s suppliers to assess opportunities to hire, train or mentor opportunity youth.

Entrepreneurs can continue to sign the pledge at www.smallbiz4youth.com.

To schedule an interview with a small business owner who signed the pledge or a representative from Small Business Majority, contact Kelsey Bye at [email protected] or (202) 289-0957.