In October I was honored to be appointed to the Youth Council of the Joint Workforce Investment Board, a division of the Department of Workforce Development (DWD). The Joint Workforce Investment Board serves Indiana Economic Growth Regions 5, 8, 9 and 11 (most of the southern half the state). The purpose of the Youth Council, which is a federal requirement for every Workforce Investment Board to have, is to help economically disadvantaged youth make achievements in school, increase access to job training and higher education opportunities, and gain the knowledge and skills required to progress in well-paying careers. Cheryl Musgrave is the executive director for the Joint Workforce Investment Board, and assists the Youth Council in the same capacity. “Youth unemployment has never been higher, and unemployment for minorities is much higher now than in previous years. A recent article from The Economist discussed that ‘young people have been the biggest victims of the [economic] crisis. In 2007, the youth unemployment rate in the OECD was 14.2 percent, compared with 4.9 percent for older workers; in the first quarter of 2011 the rates were 19.7 percent and 7.3 percent, respectively,’” said Cheryl. The Youth Council wants to assist young people by finding ways to improve the youth employment levels so that it doesn’t negatively affect the rest of a young person’s working life. The same article from The Economist stated, “Young people who are out of work for long stretches at the start of their career can become permanently scarred by the experience and may never get back on track.” We want to help Hoosier youths avoid that scenario by any means possible. The Youth Council is currently studying options to improve the employment rate for young Hoosiers. We are working with the Regional Workforce Boards and WorkOne offices to achieve our goals. We are also seeking grants from private and government sources, as well as partnerships with organizations, to assist youth. I’m looking forward to the progress we make to help ensure a brighter future for young Hoosiers. As always, please feel free to contact me with questions. I can be reached by phone at 1-800-382-9841 or by email at H78@in.gov.
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