Step-Up Omaha 2

Step-Up Omaha
Youth Employment Program

STEP-UP OMAHA! recruits, trains, and places prepared Omaha youth and young adults age 14 to 21, in mutually beneficial paid summer jobs and work experience opportunities.

STEP-UP OMAHA! builds on the Empowerment Network and community partners’ successes in hiring and placing over 5,000 participants over the past thirteen years. Based on its commitment to building a highly competitive workforce of the future, the City of Omaha is prepared to make a significant investment in helping to expand the employment program.

Here are the four ways that you can invest in this vitally important initiative:

1. Hire participants from the initiative and provide a high-quality work experience

2. Provide work experience opportunities that are subsidized or partially subsidized

3. Sponsor participants financially. Participants will be placed on a separate work site

4. Make a financial contribution to support the initiative

Who are we?

The Empowerment Network and City of Omaha in collaboration with community partners are working to provide opportunities for youth and young adults to gain valuable job training and work experience during the summer. We’re working to provide jobs, internships, work experience, vocational training, academic recovery and remediation, life skills training, and community service opportunities.

In 2012, the City of Omaha, Empowerment Network and community partners challenged the business community, philanthropists, community organizations, and individuals to help us employ youth and young adults.

In 2018 we were successful in raising nearly $2.2M and connected 586 youth and young adults to work and employed 35 community coaches and staff.  In 2019 connected 700 youth and young adults to jobs, work experience, and valuable training experiences.   The City of Omaha has invested $1,000,000 per year in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Why we do it?

While Omaha overall experiences an overall 3% unemployment rate, in targeted areas within our community residents are facing upwards of 15% unemployment. In addition, employers are facing challenges of recruiting and retaining employees to fill key positions. Step-Up Omaha is a key ingredient to help bridge this gap.

The Mayor’s Office, City Council, and community have identified jobs and job training as the number one priority in our city. In response to this priority of providing job training, work experience, and employment opportunities to address the severe unemployment and underemployment in high poverty areas of the city, the City of Omaha, Empowerment Network, and 20+ community partners have launched STEP-UP OMAHA! Summer Training, Employment Pathway, and Urban Pipeline.

Step-Up Omaha is based on the Empowerment Network’s initial Great Summer Jobs collaboration with community-based organizations between 2008 and 2011 which was responsible for engaging over 1,500 youth and young adults between the ages of 14 and 29 in work experience, internships, and job training opportunities. The groups worked together on a comprehensive basis to help create positive opportunities for these participants to experience the workplace and generate income during the summer months.

As a result of the program, many of the participants have gained full-time employment, some have returned to school to complete their GED or gain a high school diploma, and others have continued their education by attending college. Participants have been placed on work sites including corporations, non-profits, and other organizations. Over 100 organizations and business have provided worksite opportunities for participants. In addition, local foundations and businesses including the United Way of the Midlands, Omaha Community Foundation, Office of Violence Prevention, American National Bank, CHI Health, WoodmenLife, Lozier, and Weitz have provided financial support over the past eleven years.