News: April 7, 2006

Program Opens Doors for Minneapolis Youth
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

As a co-chair of the city of Minneapolis' STEP-UP older youth summer jobs program for the third year, as well as an employer of program participants, I am a firsthand witness to the impact a meaningful summer job has on a young person's life. During the spring of 2004, Mayor R.T. Rybak invited me to participate in developing this influential initiative for Minneapolis and convinced me of the merits of a business-led, student-based jobs program. Employers hired more than 200 students during that first summer and increased their pledges to 300 summer jobs in 2005. We set a new goal for 2006: 500 student employees, hired by more than 100 Minneapolis businesses.

For youth, a meaningful summer job opens doors that would otherwise remain closed. Introducing students to a world beyond their own neighborhoods allows them to see the connection between school, work and post-secondary education. Better students yield better employees and result in better citizens.

The STEP-UP summer jobs program offers local businesses a unique opportunity to serve the community while introducing students to new possibilities and encouraging them to pursue their academic and career dreams. STEP-UP recruits, trains and places motivated Minneapolis high-school students in meaningful summer jobs among local employers. Participating businesses typically employ students for six to 10 weeks during the summer for 20 to 40 hours per week, providing them with a real-world experience in a corporate setting.

STEP-UP employers benefit from their student employees' productivity. All STEP-UP students are pre-qualified and are required to complete an intensive work-readiness training course. Program participants also are provided with job coaching to help ensure their success on the job and contribution to their employer's bottom line. In fact, 99 percent of STEP-UP supervisors felt their students' work made a valuable contribution to their workplace last year.

Overall, the success of the STEP-UP program is nothing short of impressive. Consider that 77 percent of STEP-UP seniors graduated in 2005, compared to Minneapolis Public Schools' overall graduation rate of 54 percent. Providing additional summer jobs will allow more high-school students to participate in the STEP-UP program, thus improving graduation statistics and producing skilled, motivated future hires.

It is our responsibility as business leaders to groom our future work force by nurturing their exceptional diversity and providing an outlet to hone professional skill development. Furthermore, we are obligated to contribute to the city's vitality and ensure our local economy remains strong for many years to come.
This year, as we aim to secure more than 500 STEP-UP jobs for deserving Minneapolis high-school students, increasing our job base by 62 percent, I encourage all my fellow business leaders to "step up" and pledge meaningful summer jobs that will make a profound impact on the lives of our youth ... and the future of our great city.

To pledge a summer job or for additional information on the STEP-UP program, please contact David Brant at (612) 455-1558 or dbrant@achieve-minneapolis.org.
Richard Davis is president and chief executive officer of Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp and is a co-chair of STEP-UP.