Oakland and Richmond Mayors to Join LeadersUp & BAYEP Coalition at Hiring Event & Town Hall for Young Men of Color

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The BAYEP Career Pathway Summit, an annual hiring event providing job readiness training and on-site interviews for up to 1,000 young men of color in the Bay Area, will take place Tuesday, October 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Marriott City Center, 1001 Broadway. This year, the summit will include a town hall and virtual Q&A on the unemployment crisis facing young men of color (YMoC) in the Bay Area with business leaders and the mayors of Oakland and Richmond.

Immediately following the town hall, which starts at 8:30 a.m., Mayors Libby Schaaf of Oakland and Tom Butt of Richmond will join nonprofit and business leaders, in a pinning ceremony to congratulate and encourage the young men before their interviews.

The hiring event is hosted by the Bay Area Young Men of Color Employment Partnership (BAYEP). BAYEP is comprised of the Bay Area Council, LeadersUp, PolicyLink, United Way Bay Area and Urban Strategies Council. This hiring event is free and open to the entire community with a focus on YMoC 18–29 years old living in the nine-county Bay Area. More than 20 employers will be interviewing and hiring on the spot.

During the town hall, youth will be able to pose questions to the panelists related to their career and educational advancement. The Q&A will be posted to social media platforms using #BAYEPCareerSummit, and the town hall and other activities on center stage will be live streamed throughout the day.

YMoC in the Bay Area face unemployment rates as high as 57 percent in some communities.

"It demonstrates to YMoC that their futures and their opinions matter. For leaders to be able to hear directly from our young men on what their concerns are is critical to addressing the pervasive inequality and lack of on-ramps available to them to ensure their participation in the Bay Area economy," said Jeffery Wallace, CEO of LeadersUp. "We want the young men to know that we need them and believe in them, and we want stakeholders to understand they have a part to play to ensure equity and inclusion of YMoC in the region's thriving economy."

"The BAYEP Career Pathway Summit is a key piece of our collective efforts to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our population are getting connected to viable career pathways, and that employers across our region are building a workforce that reflects the talent and diversity in our communities," said Mayor Schaaf. "The future of Oakland depends on each young person having the opportunity and training to apply their skills towards this fast growing economy."

The summit is one of the largest hiring events in the Bay Area for YMoC (African American, Hispanic, Native American and Asian Pacific Islanders). The career summit is proudly presented by the Lumina Foundation with support from the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), Kaiser Permanente, James Irvine Foundation, Prudential, Microsoft and LinkedIn. LeadersUp and BAYEP have partnered with nonprofits throughout the region to spread the word and attract employers such as AT&T; Bank of the West; Chipotle; Hingeto; Lyft; Macy's; Noah's New York Bagels; SweetGreens; United Airlines; University of San Francisco; and ICA Small Business.

"The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) and American Hotel and Lodging Education Foundation (AHLEF) are proud to sponsor the Bay Area Young Men of Color Employment Partnership's (BAYEP) Career Pathway Summit," said Katherine Lugar, President and CEO of AHLA. "AHLA, AHLEF and BAYEP are committed to recruiting diverse talent and creating career pathways and economic mobility for anyone willing to succeed, especially in the hospitality industry. We take pride in this industry's strong commitment to workforce training and development and providing a pathway to long-term employment."

YMoC who want to attend should register here: bit.ly/career-summit. For a guaranteed interview with employers, they are encouraged to attend a pre-summit career training. LeadersUp is hosting a series of free in-person and digital professional development training sessions across the region in partnership with community organizations and academic institutions, including Laney Community College. The training is designed to prepare YMoC to successfully interview with employers and includes mock interviews, support, and tips on how to build a resume and a professional network via LinkedIn. Those living in the Bay Area can text BAYEP to 64600 for a complete training schedule and to reserve a spot.

The summit provides participants with an immersive and engaging experience, and includes a robust schedule of interactive and inspiring activities, guest speakers and performances. The Grads of Life's 7 Second Resume initiative will be on site to allow attendees to create professional pitch videos and headshots to include on their LinkedIn profiles.

The summit's impact is not limited to one day. Employers and their new hires will receive 12 to 18 months of support from LeadersUp and BAYEP to ensure their mutual long-term success.

About LeadersUp: Founded in 2013 by Starbucks and its leading U.S. suppliers, LeadersUp is a 501(c)(3) talent development accelerator focused on solving the challenges of youth unemployment and the opportunity divide by meeting business hiring needs with a pipeline of ready-to-work young adults.www.leadersup.org.

About the Bay Area Young Men of Color Employment Partnership (BAYEP): BAYEP collaborates with employers, community-based organizations, young adults, policymakers and advocates across the San Francisco Bay Area in helping to build career pathways for one of the fastest growing populations facing the highest unemployment rates in California – boys and young men of color.  www.BAYEP.org.

Media contact: Lenee Richards | [email protected] | 213-760-3019.

SOURCE LeadersUp

Related Links

http://www.leadersup.org