About Workready

WorkReady offers summer and school-year experiences for youth to prepare for careers through opportunities for awareness, skill building and paid work experience. As we continue to build our future talent pipeline, it's crucial that we support early career preparation to put our region's young talent on the right track for a successful career.

Businesses of any size and industry can participate. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia participated in the program by hiring a young person, providing them with access to a meaningful paid work experience which promotes self-efficacy and builds the transferable skills required for young talent to secure and sustain employment.

"We believe in supporting and expanding workforce development to help young people within the city. Like many previous years, we were very satisfied with the commitment and dedication our summer student provided. We strongly encourage other employers to get involved because this will help shape the lives of future youth within the city."

- Stacy Coates, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

HOW TO INVEST

DONATE
to the Philly Summer Jobs Fund

Donate

HIRE
a young person

Employers play a critical role in building a competitive workforce for the future. Investing in our young people takes many shapes including providing job opportunities, financially supporting work experiences or both! If you are working with one of the WorkReady provider partners or simply looking to get involved, please use the link below to let us know how we can work together.

Register Your Interest

VOLUNTEER
to participate on a career panel or career day

Engage your employees in a career panel or career days to create awareness for young people. Career Days will be online events in which employers and professional organizations will meet with young people in a virtual environment to share their experiences, allowing youth to connect their academic work to their professional aspirations. For employers, it is an opportunity to engage multiple departments within your organization and “give back” to the community in which you do business.

Sign up to volunteer

Interested in hosting a virtual internship but need some support? Read and download our toolkit for valuable tips and resources.

Virtual Internship Toolkit

Why Employers Invest in Young People

The business community is a critical stakeholder in ensuring that young adults in Philadelphia are included in our region's economic growth. There are a multitude of reasons for supporting early work and preparation experiences for young adults.

Building Your Talent Pipeline

Develop a skilled workforce while ensuring career readiness. Early work experiences provide an opportunity to begin aligning the skills students are learning with the workforce development needs of your company and industry.
Build value for your business with minimal resources. Tackle backburner projects and test potential entry-level hires for minimal investment.
Leadership development opportunities for your staff by supervising an intern.

Investing in the Future

Increase your bottom line. By providing career exposure to young people, your business can proactively tackle backburner projects and test potential entry-level hires
Build brand loyalty. Giving young adults an opportunity to provide input in the development of products and services can build a stronger customer base.
Support our city's economy. Summer jobs are a critical entry point for youth employment and thereby stimulates the economy.

Fostering Diversity and Inclusion

Contribute to our region's competitiveness while promoting inclusive growth.
Build a stronger company culture. Welcoming young adults from different backgrounds encourages diversity of thought, which benefits your business.
Use your business to drive real change by growing economic independence in the local community.

Practicing Corporate Social Responsibility

Practice good corporate citizenship. Further connect with the communities in which your company does business.
Attract Talent. The next generation of job seekers pays close attention to how a company does business as well as the company's connection to the community. This is a key role in attracting and retaining local talent.

Contact Us

WorkReady is managed by the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN). If you have additional questions on becoming a WorkReady employer, you can contact PYN directly by emailing fokidi@pyninc.org.