Politics & Government

Pavia Details "Mayor's Youth Employment Program" (MYEP)

In year three, popular youth employment program expands to include Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide.

The Mayor’s Youth Employment Program (MYEP) will kick off later this month, celebrating its creation three years ago when the economic downturn and shrinking job market made finding a summer job difficult for teens.

According to a statement released Tuesday, back in 2010, Mayor Pavia created MYEP acknowledging that experienced employees who had been laid off from corporations were taking jobs typically reserved for teens during the summer and that many families relied on the extra income. He also, according to the release, acknowledged that high school students weren't likely to secure such jobs unless he garnered support from the local business community.  

By supplementing "real-world" paid work experience with professional development and team projects, Pavia considered MYEP a means toward a stronger workforce in the future. “I invited the community to partner with me,” said Mayor Pavia in the release.  "The results have been outstanding."

Find out what's happening in Stamfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The program has impacted 82 students in its first two years, according to the release, and will welcome 75 more students to the program this year.  

The program has seen a three-fold growth in business participation,  as businesses from the corporate, private, non-profit, and government sectors have worked together to make an incredible impact on the community. In summer 2012 a group of MYEP students working alongside staff from Bartlett Arboretum landscaped a desolate median strip where Cold Spring Road connects to Long Ridge and High Ridge Roads. The crew planted over 1,000 grasses and shrubs.

Find out what's happening in Stamfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This year MYEP joins forces with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Sacred Heart University to introduce students to the emerging field of Digital Marketing according to the release.  Twenty students will receive digital marketing instruction, followed by three weeks of work experience with information technology and digital marketing professionals at Starwood’s International Headquarters in Stamford.

“This model is a new standard of partnership that truly supports the mission of the MYEP program,” said Mayor Pavia in the release.  “The MYEP is on track to be a national best practice model that other major cities should follow.”  


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here