YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Our emerging workforce is incredibly important to our current and future economy and community. However, the challenges faced by teens and young adults continue to become more complex and challenging.
The MassHire North Shore Workforce Board manages and administers youth workforce development programs via state and federal funding. We strive to ensure that each youth receives the services they need to move successfully into the labor market, and to move forward with their education and work experience into solid and informed career choices.
Below is a summary of youth services provided by MassHire North Shore.
To learn more about our youth programs, please contact Katie Crowder, Manager of Youth Workforce Initiatives.
In order to best serve our emerging workforce, we created a separate Youth Career Center in 2005. Today, the youth space is co-located at North Shore Community College in Lynn.
If you are a young person looking for information about our programs or help getting a job, please contact the Youth Career Center!
Click here for our Youth Career Center Resource Guide.
F1rstJobs
F1rstJobs is the North Shore Workforce Board Summer Jobs initiative, which began in 2005, and was a response to the incredible demand for summer jobs on the part of students, their families, and educators. Through F1rstJobs, teens receive career readiness training on how to find, get, and keep a job. Companies are asked to hire teens – or to provide financial support for a teen to work in a non-profit organization. These jobs and funds are combined with other resources (such as YouthWorks) to provide a substantial pool to which teens who have gone through the workshops are referred for interview.
View our Youth Career Center Newsletter to see what’s new!
- Companies interested in hiring youth should contact Bob Fraizer rfraizer@masshire-nscareers.
org - Youth interested in receiving assistance with summer jobs can fill out the F1rstJobs application or visit the North Shore Youth Career Center
North Shore Youth Career Center
Phone: 781-691-7430
Fax: 781-691-7431
Walk In Hours: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
MassHire Youth Services
Youth programs at MassHire North Shore include a number of grants from both state and federal sources. The Workforce Board charters the Career Center, including a separate Youth Career Center, and our staff provide services at the centers, as well as in schools and in the community. Our programs are run in partnership with MA Department of Career Services, and the federal WIOA Youth Programs, Commonwealth Corporation, MA Department of Education, MA Executive Office of Education, and private funders through Essex County Community Foundation. Our programs’ success is based on our amazing staff, our quality community partners, diverse funding, strong employers, and our youth!
Connecting Activities
The Connecting Activities grant is part of the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education School to Career Program. Our staff meet with North Shore students in their schools, either during office hours or in a classroom setting. The goal of Connecting Activities is to prepare students to enter the workforce by offering interest & career assessments, labor market information, career readiness workshops, job fairs, career speakers, company tours, and job placement assistance and support. Each year we help over 500 students enter employer-paid placements.
Schools interested in learning more about Connecting Activities services can join the network.
YouthWorks
YouthWorks (funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) places young adults in part time subsidized jobs in local public and non-profit organizations across the region. Youthworks is a large part of our F1rstjobs (summer) program, but we also place youth during the school year. Youth in this program also receive career readiness training and other support to remain successfully employed, and to prepare for eventual unsubsidized employment in the private sector, the ultimate goal of the program. The majority of the youth reside in Lynn, Salem, or Peabody, which are our Gateway Cities.
The program eligibility focuses on low-income and otherwise at-risk individuals. We have additional youth and work sites in our other 16 communities, with over 400 youth placed in the summer of 2022 across 35 worksites in the region.
The program has expanded in recent years and now includes ages 14-25, with the majority of the youth placed being within ages 16-19. The opportunities for 14 & 15 year olds are limited, and we do recommend youth or families contact us in the spring to get the best opportunity for a job placement. Applications are Online Here.
All enrolled students receive work experience of 10-20 hours per week at minimum wage, as well as 15 hours required of workshops and training in topics such as Workplace Safety, Financial Management, Interviewing Skills, Dress for Success, and Workplace Etiquette/Keeping a Job, which are all part of Commonwealth Corporation’s job readiness curriculum “Signal Success”.
WIOA Youth Programs
The US Department of Labor, through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, provides funding to support intensive workforce development activities for teens living below the poverty level and/or facing additional barriers to employment, including teens who have withdrawn from high school, teen parents, youthful offenders, teens below grade level, and others.
The NSWB administers these programs through vendors- Current Vendors include Catholic Charities North, the Compass Youth Program at Action Inc, and the YouthBuild Program at North Shore CDC.
The NSWB offers a Request for Proposals on a bi-annual basis for programs to offer services as WIOA youth vendors. The proposal information is available in March 2023 on our RFP page
Teens in these programs receive access to 14 youth services including:
- Tutoring, study skills training and instruction
- Alternative secondary school offerings or dropout recovery services
- Paid and unpaid work experiences
- Occupational skill training
- Leadership development activities
- Supportive services
- Adult mentoring
- Comprehensive guidance and counseling
- Integrated education and training for a specific occupation
- Financial Literacy education
- Entrepreneurial skills training
- labor market information about in-demand industry sectors and occupations
- Post-secondary preparation and transition activities
- Follow-up services
STEM Internships
MassHire is now working under a grant from the Executive Office of Education to increase STEM Internships for High School Students. This grant will cover the wages for students to complete 100 hours internships in STEM. These early opportunities to explore STEM careers are vital to improve the talent pipeline for STEM companies in Massachusetts.
MassHire is partnering with North Shore Technology Council and North Shore Innoventures on this initiative, and we will be looking for employers to host up to 96 student interns across the North Shore for the spring and summer of 2023. Interested employers can contact us to learn more!
Innovation Pathways
DESE also supports the Innovation Pathways designations, which are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as information technology, engineering, healthcare, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.
Innovation Pathways are designed to create strong partnerships with employers in order to expose students to career options and help them develop knowledge and skills related to their chosen field of study before they graduate high school.
In our region, Danvers, Swampscott and Marblehead have moved forward with this opportunity, and MassHire supports these programs by providing letters of support, current labor market information, and connections to local employers.
Learn more about Innovation Pathways
MassHire is always looking for additional employer partners to help support these programs. Employers can assist in the development of curriculum by informing educators on the types of skills needed in their profession, or support student development by attending job fairs, and by offering company tours, career speakers, and internships. Contact us if you are an employer interested in supporting career pipelines!
Education Internships
Under the umbrella of Connecting Activities, the MA DESE created the HSSIEP (High School Senior Internship in Education) program in 2020. This is in response to the shortage of educators in MA, particularly educators representing BIPOC communities and male educators.
The goal of this program is to offer paid internships in education to high school seniors. The seniors would work within the district supporting K-8 students in various manners. Now in the third year, MassHire North Shore has supported over 350 students in a paid education-based internship. We hope to see these young people become educators in the future!
Labor Market Data Targeted to Youth
The MassHire NSWB has developed labor market data information that is targeted specifically to youth, recognizing the need to communicate effectively and efficiently the wonderful, yet complicated opportunities available to youth if they stay and do well in school and simultaneously have positive first and second work experiences. Examples of our LMI documents include a Youth Labor Market Blue Print, Non-traditional Jobs data, STEM Industry Profiles, STEM Occupational Data, and a NSWB Youth Life Sciences brochure.
Amp It Up
Amp it Up is a program created in 2013 to bring schools and manufacturing companies together to help middle and high school students understand the career opportunities available in STEM and Manufacturing fields and to increase the number of students who choose careers in these areas. Through Amp It Up, middle or high school teachers spend one day at a company, to draw connections between what educators are teaching and how it is used in real life. Teachers also receive professional development with a consultant, reviewing their curriculum, exploring its possible use in manufacturing, and then, based on their experiences, build classroom activities and lesson plans that bring the curriculum alive for students.
Check out the lesson plans from past years to see how North Shore teachers have connected their curriculum to local companies!
Amp it Up has been on hiatus due to the pandemic, but we are hoping to revive this program soon! If you are a company interested in hosting a teacher, please contact us!
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Our emerging workforce is incredibly important to our current and future economy and community. At the same time the challenges faced by teens and young adults continue to become more complex and challenging. This reality led to the establishment of the North Shore Youth Career Center, now located at 117 Franklin Street in Lynn through which all these programs operate.
We strive to ensure that each youth receives the services they need to move successfully into the labor market, and to move forward with their education and work experience into solid and informed career choices. Below is a summary of youth services provided by the North Shore WIB and the North Shore Career Centers.
F1rstJobs
F1rstJobs is the North Shore WIB Summer Jobs initiative, which began in 2005, and was a response to the incredible demand for summer jobs on the part of students, their families, and educators. Through F1rstJobs, teens receive training on how to find, get, and keep a job. Companies are asked to hire teens – or to provide financial support for a teen to work in a non-profit organization. These jobs and funds are combined with other resources (such as YouthWorks) to provide a substantial pool to which teens who have gone through the workshops are referred for interview.
- Companies interested in hiring youth should contact Bob Fraizer Rfraizer@nscareers.org or fill out a job order form
- Youth interested in receiving assistance with summer jobs can fill out the F1rstJobs application or visit the North Shore Youth Career Center
Amp It Up
Amp It Up is a program created in 2013 to bring schools and manufacturing companies together to help middle and high school students understand the career opportunities available in STEM and Manufacturing fields and to increase the number of students who choose careers in these areas. Through Amp It Up, middle or high school teachers spend one day at a company, to draw connections between what educators are teaching and how it is used in real life. Teachers also receive professional development with a consultant, reviewing their curriculum, exploring its possible use in manufacturing, and then, based on their experiences, build classroom activities and lesson plans that bring the curriculum alive for students.
Check out the lesson plans from past years to see how North Shore teachers have connected their curriculum to local companies!
Amp it Up has been on hiatus due to the pandemic, but we are hoping to revive this program soon! If you are a company interested in hosting a teacher, please contact us!
Labor Market Data Targeted to Youth
The NSWIB has developed labor market data information that is targeted specifically to youth, recognizing the need to communicate effectively and efficiently the wonderful, yet complicated opportunities available to youth if they stay and do well in school and simultaneously have positive first and second work experiences. Examples of our LMI documents include a Youth Labor Market Blue Print, Non-traditional Jobs data, STEM Industry Profiles and a NSWIB Youth Life Sciences brochure.
YouthWorks
YouthWorks (funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) places low income teens in part time subsidized jobs in local public and non-profit organizations across the region. Youth also receive intensive training and other supports to remain successfully employed, and to prepare for unsubsidized employment in the private sector, the ultimate goal of the program. The program requires that 90% of students must reside in Lynn, Salem, or Peabody, which are our Gateway Cities with higher level of poverty. The remaining slots can be used in any of our communities.
All enrolled students receive work experience of 10-20 hours per week at minimum wage, as well as 15 hours of workshops and training in topics such as OSHA/Workplace Safety, Financial Management, Interviewing Skills, Dress for Success , and Workplace Etiquette/Keeping a Job, which are all part of Commonwealth Corporation’s job readiness curriculum “Signal Success”.
Connecting Activities
The Connecting Activities grant is part of the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education School to Career Program. Our staff work in the schools, serving the most needy North Shore students. Each year we serve approximately 330 students through workshops, interest assessments, career readiness assessment and training using Career Readiness 101, labor market discussion, job fairs, and job placement assistance and support.
Schools interested in learning more about Connecting Activities services can join the network.
117 Franklin Street
Lynn, MA 01902
Phone: 781-691-7435
Fax: 781-691-7431
Walk In Hours: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Work experience in the summer and school year
- Tutoring and academic help
- Mentoring
- Occupational training
- Counseling and case management
- Community Service opportunities
- Leadership Development
- Support Services
- Alternative Education Services
- Follow-up
The US Department of Labor, through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, provides funding to support intensive workforce development activities for teens living below the poverty level and facing additional barriers to employment, including teen parents, youthful offenders, teens below grade level, drop outs, and others. Teens in these program received access to 10 youth services including Tutoring, Study skills training, and instruction-leading to completion of secondary school, including dropout prevention strategies, Work Experience, Alternative Secondary School Services, Mentoring, Leadership Development, Supportive Services, Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling, Summer Employment, and Occupational Skills Training and 12 months of Follow Up Services.