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***WATCH NEWS CONFERENCE ON YOUTUBE***
PROVIDENCE- “The skills you’ve learned this summer will go a long way towards building discipline and helping you secure good-paying jobs in the future,” said Mayor David N. Cicilline as he distributed Operation Opportunity Job-Completion Certificates to youth at The Steel Yard. The youth are among nearly 800 Providence residents hired for summer jobs as part of Operation Opportunity – an 18-month economic action plan designed to put Providence residents to work and fuel the economy.
“My administration remains focused on doing everything possible to create meaningful learning opportunities for our kids while helping families through these difficult economic times,” said Mayor Cicilline. “That includes making smart decisions that maximize every single stimulus dollar to create jobs, fuel the economy and strengthen our community.”
The summer jobs initiative is funded with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars through the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training and the Providence/Cranston Workforce Investment Board. First Source funds were used to support summer programming at The Steelyard.
The City of Providence, in coordination with the Department of Art, Culture & Tourism, partnered with 30 local agencies to offer a wide range of job opportunities including employment at The Steel Yard, Everett Dance Theatre, Groundwork Providence, Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, Downtown Improvement District (DID), Providence Housing Authority (PHA) and the Urban League of Rhode Island. Employment opportunities have ranged from community beautification projects and environmental education to mural painting and planting trees.
During the Mayor’s visit to The Steel Yard where eight young people are employed, the young employees demonstrated a variety of skills they’ve learned over the summer creating decorative frames for trash cans and fences. The employees learned how to weld, torch cut, work with jigs and use power and hand tools.
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