The holidays are good for giving gifts, getting gifts, and spreading cheer. They’re also good for holiday jobs. With the help of United Way’s MatchBridge program, urban youth are cashing in.
MatchBridge prepares and places young people in local jobs. And we’ve had a very, very busy holiday season! We had ten (yes, ten!) hot leads on companies that were hiring, and since mid-September have place 50 young people in local jobs with UPS, Levi’s, Starbucks, Forever21, Ross, Pet Camp, Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom, and Sephora. Old Navy takes the cake with 16 hires!
What’s more, many of our MatchBridge youth members may turn their seasonal employment into full-time jobs at Sephora, UPS, and Old Navy, where the companies have said they will be keeping some seasonal hires on after the holidays.
At MatchBridge, we’re continually innovating to improve our program. We decided to try something new for this year’s holiday hiring rush, and held two “Interview Fairs” that enabled hiring managers to interview several youth in a group format, then narrow down their choices. It worked, and it wasn’t long before our phones started ringing with the news of new hires.
It’s been an exciting, fast-paced time, and we’ve enjoyed having so many opportunities to offer MatchBridge members. We hope that this holiday season has provided a chance for young people to get their foot in the door, and that these jobs will be positive learning experiences for them.
Happy Holidays from MatchBridge!
Ellie Stevenson is an AmeriCorps Vista with of United Way’s MatchBridge youth employment program. Learn more at www.matchbridge.org.
