Newsroom

By Joe Kefauver It’s no secret the economy is humming right along. Here in Central Florida, our world-leading tourism economy is booming with a record number of visitors in 2017 and projections show an even more successful 2018. The biggest challenge facing employers right now is not finding customers, it’s finding employees to serve them. […]

By Elisabeth Leamy, The Washington Post, May 21, 2018 The lifeguard scans the water methodically from behind mirrored sunglasses. Perched on an elevated chair at a Northwest Washington apartment complex pool, she looks like a hard-working American teen. When she opens her mouth to coordinate with a fellow lifeguard, the words she calls out are […]

By Andrew Soergel, U.S. News & World Report, May 18, 2018 With temperatures rising and summer months right around the corner, Wisconsin Dells – a town in the middle of the Badger State that bills itself as the “waterpark capital of the world” – is gearing up for peak tourist season. The town boasts the […]

By Ellen Ruppel Shell, The New York Times, May 16, 2018 Last year, New York became the first state to offer all but its wealthiest residents tuition-free access to its public community colleges and four-year institutions. Though this Excelsior Scholarship didn’t make college completely free, it highlights the power of the pro-college movement in the […]

By Kathleen Kathleen Houlihan, Forbes Councils, May 7, 2018 Today, we have teachers who are underpaid, schools that are underfunded, and governments that are cutting support for education. These realities may seem grim, but fortunately, businesses have the resources and the desire to help students succeed. As a career coach, I see that it’s becoming […]

By Rachel Abrams and Robert Gebeloff, The New York Times, May 3, 2018 A quarter-century ago, there were 56 teenagers in the labor force for every “limited service” restaurant — that is, the kind where you order at the counter. Today, there are fewer than half as many, which is a reflection both of teenagers’ […]

By Ashley Ross and Jon Marcus, National Pubic Radio Like most other American high school students, Garret Morgan had it drummed into him constantly: Go to college. Get a bachelor’s degree. “All through my life it was, ‘if you don’t go to college you’re going to end up on the streets,’ ” Morgan said. “Everybody’s […]

By Eric R. Lucero, U.S. Department of Labor Blog, December 20, 2017 In 1978, Beatrice Andrews took the first step toward a lifelong career when she enrolled in an apprenticeship with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 613 at the age of 24. “Every day was an opportunity to prove I belonged and I […]

    By DEBRA BRUNO September 21, 2017 http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/21/summer-jobs-program-cities-policy-analysis-215632 Since the 1960s, big-city mayors have touted the virtues of summer jobs programs for inner-city kids with almost religious faith. Paying a couple of thousand dollars to local businesses to give poor kids an entry-level job for six weeks would reap big rewards down the road, […]

The fifth installment of Opportunity Jobs Academy will kickoff in October 2017. Please note the below the application due dates. Classes will begin Wednesday, October 18.