On Thursday, Feb. 6, DTE Energy helped kick off one of Detroit’s summer jobs programs for the city’s youth, Grow Detroit’s Young Talent (GDYT), at DTE Energy headquarters in Detroit, opening enrollment for thousands of the city’s youths.
Paula Silver, senior vice president, Corporate Communications/Corporate Citizenship and DTE Foundation, DTE Energy, was joined by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, City Council members, employers, partners and community leaders to announce this year’s program.
“In the ten years since we started GDYT, we have now provided almost 80,000 paid summer employment experiences for our young people,” said Mayor Duggan. “Many of the youth who took their first steps toward a career that first year are now themselves leading and mentoring others. That should be the goal for us all – to make the path a little easier for those that follow us.”
DTE has been a proud partner of the program since its inception in 2015 by providing summer jobs and support to hundreds of young Detroiters.
“DTE Energy is proud of our longstanding partnership with Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, offering essential work experiences for the youth of our city and providing grant support through the DTE Foundation,” said Silver. “This program empowers today’s youth to grow into the professionals, leaders and changemakers of tomorrow, setting them up for a successful and bright future.”
Grow Detroit’s Young Talent is a city-wide training and employment program for young adults between the ages of 14 and 24. The program seeks to provide over 8,000 youth summer employment opportunities in partnership with Metro Detroit corporations, non-profit organizations, municipal departments, local businesses and the philanthropic community. The strategic goals of GDYT are:
- Ensure young adults have meaningful summer work experiences that create pathways to future opportunities.
- Connect young adults to providers and employers that can support their career goals.
- Introduce employers to the next generation of Detroit’s workforce.
- Align Detroit’s youth workforce development programs to streamline service delivery and improve outcomes.
Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation (DESC) is the lead agency for GDYT and administers the Detroit at Work program on behalf of the City of Detroit. Connect Detroit is DESC’s contracted Coordinator and Implementation Partner working with key community and faith-based organizations, municipal departments, and the Junior Police and Fire Cadets.
The GDYT program is managed every year by DESC as the lead implementation agency and fiduciary, partnering with a wide range of employers, foundations, philanthropic donors and community partners.
Every year, GDYT makes a wide range of opportunities available to Detroit youth, from experience with numerous City of Detroit Departments including Police and Fire, and in industries ranging from IT to skilled trades to healthcare.