Employers are critical partners in OYIF efforts in a range of roles, from identifying skill gaps to providing internships and employment for opportunity youth as they progress to and through credentials that will pay off in the labor market. In this session, three OYIF sites (Hartford, CT; New Orleans, LA; and Santa Clara County, CA) summarize their strategies for engaging local employers as key partners in their collaboratives, and the specific roles that employers are playing in their efforts. They are followed by two national foundations (JPMorgan Chase and Starbucks Foundation) that have committed to an employer-driven approach for developing pathways for underserved populations; each describe aspects of their emerging strategies and the implications for opportunity youth efforts across the OYIF sites.

Speakers include:
– Steve Patrick, Aspen Forum for Community Solutions (Moderator)
– Amy Barad, Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives, Tulane University
– Alex Johnson, Capital Workforce Partners
– Blair Taylor, Starbucks Coffee Company
– John Hogan, TeenForce
– Chauncy Lennon, JPMorgan Chase