Jobcase and YouthHub Boston Announce Novel Civic Tech Partnership to Improve Youth Access to Local Job Opportunities

BOSTON, Nov. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Jobcase, a Kendall Square-based social media platform dedicated to empowering America's workforce, and YouthHub Boston, a Dorchester-based nonprofit focused on youth employment and career readiness, today announced an agreement to improve youth access to job opportunities in the city of Boston. Through the partnership, Jobcase will begin by providing access to hyper-local job information, enabling the launch of a new mobile web app, developed in collaboration with YouthHub Boston and Code for Boston. With this app, young job seekers will receive customized job listings targeted by proximity and skill level.

From 2000-2014, the city of Boston has experienced a youth employment crisis– a drop of 23% percent in the number of employed 16 to 19-year-olds. In YouthHub's Dorchester service-area, 90% of youth report that they are seeking a job, but only an average 25% are able to secure employment. Young job seekers encounter only a narrow field of eligible positions, as they are limited by fewer skills, smaller personal networks for referrals, and greater transportation challenges than many of their adult counterparts. A first job is crucial for young people to develop the skills, confidence, and networks to overcome many of these barriers.   

"Youth from our community say that they prefer using the internet to find their first or next job," said Rachele Gardner, Director of YouthHub Boston. "But very few are successful in finding positions online that are nearby or accessible, that match their skill level, and that align with their personal and professional goals. Leveraging Jobcase technology will provide a solution that directly addresses these challenges. We are excited to work with a local company that shares our strong commitment to equipping and empowering populations facing the greatest workforce challenges."

"Jobcase is dedicated to helping every organization that shares our mission of worker empowerment", said Fred Goff, CEO of Jobcase.  "We are inspired by YouthHub's work and consider it a privilege to help them achieve success in strengthening communities.  Our technology is increasingly seen as the leading open-access career resource in America and it is our pleasure to ensure its free use by great organizations like YouthHub and Code for Boston!"  

"Code for Boston focuses on community-driven civic innovation," said Harlan Webber, a leader at Code for Boston. "Youth from the community collaborated with Code for Boston coders to develop the mobile web app, which can be used through a web browser on any smartphone, tablet, or laptop."

The project is targeting an early 2016 launch, in advance of the rush for summer jobs. The project development started at the June 2015 community-focused National Day of Civic Hacking event, hosted by Code for Boston.

"Dorchester and Kendall Square aren't as far apart as some people think," said Gardner of Youth Hub Boston. "With such strong values in common, we are learning that we are connected by much more than just a few T stops on the Red Line. The mobile web app is just the beginning of what we can do together for youth in our region."

About Jobcase
One of the Boston area's fastest growing technology companies, Jobcase is the only social media site dedicated to empowering America's workforce. Available online and through an app, Jobcase provides one place to manage all things job-related, especially access to the knowledge, connections and wisdom of 46 million other Jobcasers. Jobcase is an industry affiliated partner of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, CSAIL, and Jobcase technology powers over 100 job sites in the Jobcase Network, connecting more than 46 million workers and employers. For more information on Jobcase, visit www.jobcase.com.

About Youth Hub Boston
YouthHub Boston is a collaborative, Dorchester-based initiative working to dramatically improve youth outcomes, particularly related to career-readiness, in Boston neighborhoods. YouthHub applies a measurement-based and innovation-driven approach to improve youth outcomes in targeted neighborhoods. YouthHub builds local capacity for youth and their communities to take the lead in achieving continuous improvement in youth outcomes that matter most. 

About Code for Boston
Code for Boston is a volunteer group that collaborates with communities, companies, and government, to build open source technology and organize a network of people dedicated to making government services simple, effective, and easy to use. It is the is the regional chapter of the national non-profit Code for America, which believes government can work for the people, by the people, in the 21st century. Code for America supports chapters with resources, tools, and access to the wider civic technology movement.

SOURCE Jobcase

Related Links

https://www.jobcase.com