This morning, for the first time since January 2020, DTE hosted the kickoff press conference for Grow Detroit’s Young Talent (GDYT), the city of Detroit’s youth employment program, at our Detroit headquarters. The DTE Foundation is once again supporting GDYT this year.
“DTE is proud to continue our commitment to GDYT and provide meaningful work experiences to Detroit youth,” said Diane Antishin, vice president, Human Resources and chief diversity and inclusion officer, DTE. “It’s so valuable for young people to see a variety of careers so they can make more informed decisions about their own professional pathways. I want to encourage our business community to partner with GDYT this summer and share your energy with our future leaders.”
Since the program began in 2015, GDYT has provided over 62,000 work experiences for Detroit youth. GDYT enabled 8,068 jobs for Detroit youth during the 2022 program, the eighth straight year of exceeding the program’s target of 8,000. To maintain social distancing protocols, GDYT made more than 5,500 of the 2022 summer opportunities virtual or hybrid, and the program will provide similar accommodations in 2023.
GDYT is supported by a number of community partners, with representatives at the event from Connect Detroit, the Skillman Foundation, and the Advancing Black Pathways program at JPMorgan Chase. The program is run by the Detroit Economic Solutions Corporation.
“This summer, we plan to make our 70,000th summer job opportunity available through GDYT,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “Every year, it is inspiring to see so many thousands of youth sign up for this program, some who are multi-year participants taking further steps toward their final career paths, others getting their first taste of having a job and earning a paycheck. And every year, our employers, our philanthropic community and our partners across the city are there to meet them, to guide them, and to help them shape their futures.”
With the kickoff event, the portal is now open for young people in Detroit to register. If you know a young person in Detroit between the ages of 14-24 who’s looking for a great work experience this summer, encourage them to register at GDYT.org.