Applications are open for the City of Detroit’s annual summer jobs program, Grow Detroit’s Young Talent. The program provides summer job opportunities for Detroiters, ages 14-24, in a variety of fields including community organizing, event planning, accounting, law enforcement and public safety, retail and more. 

Applicants must reside in Detroit and be eligible to work in the United States. The deadline to apply is May 16. The initiative provides summer work experiences for 8,000 young people each year. Selected youth will be notified by May 31, and applicants who were not initially selected will be placed on the waiting list. Once accepted, applicants will be placed within one of the program’s three tiers: Career Exploration, Ready for Work, and Career Pathway Internships.  

In Career Exploration, young people with no previous work experience are introduced to job and career opportunities. The Ready for Work tier matches youth with some work experience with an employer or vocational training opportunity, with a focus on building career readiness skills. The Internship pathway allows youth to gain training in a specific industry with an employer. 

“American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson talks with Dana Williams, President & CEO of Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation, which manages the program, and one of the program’s past participants, Joseph Holley. Williams reflects on the start of the program in 2015 and how it has grown over the years.  

She also explains how the program not only provides essential and foundational job skills, but it also offers wraparound services such as financial literacy and resources for food and housing insecurity.  Holley talks about how the experience helped him land his current job as well as find his voice and confidence.