Like many cities, Philadelphia is battling double-digit unemployment and rising poverty. Many can only find part-time jobs which help put food on the table but may not be enough to support families.
City leaders decided to address this problem in a very specific way with a program called “Philly Works: Growing Neighborhood Jobs”, which aims to help under-employed seasonal part-time workers learn the skills they need to find stable full-time work.
The pilot program is hiring and training 90-120 residents over the next 14 months, funded by $750,000 in mostly public money from grants and government programs including the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
The participants are described as motivated and hard working people who may be handicapped by literacy issues, lack of computer skills, lack of a resume or interview experience, a criminal record or challenges in their personal lives.
“Philly Works” pays them $12 an hour to sweep sidewalks on major city corridors, tidy up vacant lots, plant trees and do other “cleaning and greening” type jobs and spend 180 hours in the classroom learning computer programs, building resumes, tackling literacy issues and more.
The city works with local employers to insure when candidates finish the six-month program, there are real jobs waiting for them.
Mayor Michael Nutter says “Philly Works” cuts thru red tape and helps people who sometimes “cannot get out of their own way” and “get their life in order”.
“A lot of it comes down to the individual…” Nutter says. “They have to decide ultimately that they are ready. And we think by the response that there are a lot of people that are ready.”
The Mayor says “it’s a winner all around” and hopes to keep it going when the current program ends in 14 months.