PYN survey surfaces barriers to student goals

Earlier this year, the city of Philadelphia reconfigured and renamed its summer jobs program Career Connected Learning PHL, or C2L-PHL. PYN, along with more than 50 other nonprofit groups, is a provider partner with the city’s employment system.

At the time, the city, in partnership with the School District, said it would provide 8,000 summer jobs that would focus on career opportunities, and another 2,000 year-around internships and jobs for residents ages 12 to 24.

The program is run out of the city’s Office of Children and Families.

This year, the Lenfest Center for Community Workforce Partnerships at Temple University,

headed by Executive Director Shirley Moy, placed about 75 students. A nonprofit group, JEVS Human Services, provides program oversight and fiscal management for the program.

During the summer, students are paid a stipend of up to $1,320.

A 2022 Pew Research Center report revealed that more than one-third (36%) of all U.S. teenagers, 6 million of them, had a paying job for at least part of the year. It was the highest rate of employment for that age group since 2008. During the pandemic in 2020, summer employment for young people dropped significantly.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, internships are one of the key factors that employers take into consideration when considering a candidate for employment.

Cameron Morris, a 17-year-old senior at Roman Catholic High School, landed a six-week internship through PYN in the office of Councilmember-at-Large Nicolas O’Rourke, handling constituent services this past summer. Morris said he wants to pursue a career as an engineer and has his sights set on the University of Pennsylvania as his top choice.

“Basically, the way I look at it is as customer service for the government,” Morris said.

During the internship, he responded to citizen’s inquiries or problems by email or telephone. He learned how to execute tasks and gained valuable communication and networking skills.