Over 2,300 youth workers in Allegheny County earned over $1.5 million in wages during the 2018 Learn and Earn summer program.

The fourth year of the partnership between Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh and Partner4Work gave youth ages 14-21 the chance to work in real-world positions.

“Since we increased our investment in the Learn and Earn program, our numbers have grown over and above each year,” said Mayor William Peduto. “We have been able to expand our reach and connect a higher number of our young people each year throughout Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods and Allegheny County to career opportunities, not just manual labor jobs. This program has come to be a vital connection for our youth in the summer months to new possibilities.”

Learn and Earn is a six-week program that offers real-world develop soft skills, gain work experience and explore careers, the organization said in a press release.

Participants worked in positions creating marketing campaigns, editing video and more. Thirty-two participants worked in highly selective corporate internships.

“One of our region’s biggest challenges is ensuring that our residents have the skill sets they need to meet the demand of businesses seeking employees,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “The Learn and Earn Program provides soft skills as well as job experience, preparing the youth who participated for the opportunities that will be available to them in the future. I’m proud that we have been able to continue growing this program and that over 1,800 youth have had this experience that they can build on for future employment.”

The workers in total racked up over 215,000 hours of work and gained over 19,800 hours of work-readiness training.

“Learn and Earn helped more young adults become college and career ready this summer thanks to the steadfast commitment and leadership from the County and City, and strong partnerships with employers and community organizations,” said Partner4Work CEO Earl Buford. “We especially want to thank our business partners that hosted corporate interns, providing an opportunity for our region’s future leaders to explore careers, gain work experience, build valuable skills and make the connection between their education and their future.”