DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF)- Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is launching Dallas Works, a major new initiative that will connect students to summer jobs.
Dallas Works will give our kids an opportunity to learn professional skills, to stay busy during the summer, to make some money, to learn the value of honest work, to contribute to their communities, and to stay out of trouble, said Mayor Johnson.
Dallas Works is an expansion of the Mayors Intern Fellows Program, which then-Mayor Tom Leppert officially launched in 2008. That program, which was modeled on the White House Fellows Program, employed 370 young people at more than 200 major corporations in 2019. Since its inception, the program served 2,940 students.
With a new focus on employing as many young people during the summer as possible, Mayor Johnson hopes Dallas Works can at least double the 2019 numbers in the first year.
So far, in less than two weeks, nearly 1,500 students and 75 companies have signed up to take part in Dallas Works.
The mayors office will oversee the implementation of Dallas Works. Education is Freedom will handle student recruitment and administration. And the Dallas Regional Chamber and the Dallas Citizens Council will help recruit employers to participate.
Dale Petrosky President and CEO The Dallas Regional chamber said more than every before, the youth will be exposed to the abundance of job opportunities in Dallas. “In the last 9 years, 140 companies have moved it’s headquarters to Dallas and I want these students to know that they have every opportunity in the world to be a part of this prosperity,” he said.
Employers and students wanting to participate in Dallas Works should visit dallassummerjobs.org for more information.
