Ramsey County Youth Works!

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Ramsey County is home to a wide network of high-quality organizations seeking to provide employment and educational opportunities to young people, ages 14-24. As a County where nearly 50% of residents are between the ages of 14 and 34, and racial economic disparities persist, the work these organizations do is critical. Unfortunately, these organizations have historically provided their services independently, lacking coordination, and with limited supports from the wider workforce ecosystem. As a funder of services, and the local workforce development board, Ramsey County Workforce Solutions has leveraged the role of convener to create Youth Works!. This effort was ideated and started just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that time, the county has leveraged resources to accelerate the efforts to build a coordination hub while recognizing the unique strengths of individual programs and organizations providing work deep in our communities in a decentralized model. Youth Works! is a county led initiative that serves as a collaboration hub which brings together these organizations and partners to align and improve the employment and training opportunities for young people in the community ensuring more access, reducing duplication and increasing collective impact. By serving as a backbone organization to this initiative, Ramsey County has begun offering a number of supports, programs and engagements for community organizations to take advantage of to allow them to focus on various points along the continuum of support while helping youth embark on a career pathway.