Hennepin County approves contract amendments to expand youth employment programs serving up to 512 young people

The Hennepin County Board approved amendments to principal agreements to accept state fiscal allocations for Youth at Work and the Minnesota Youth Program and to increase contract not-to-exceed amounts for partner organizations. Workforce Development staff told commissioners the county was awarded $300,000 through a competitive Youth at Work grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to serve approximately 60 economically disadvantaged or at-risk youth ages 14 to 24. The county will partner with the Brooklyn Park Economic Development Authority and Lutheran Social Service to run career academies focused on work-readiness, career exploration and soft skills; the award also supports paid internships (five individuals per year for two years) for a subset of participants.

In addition, the county will increase not-to-exceed amounts on contracts with Brooklyn Park EDA and Tree Trust to receive Minnesota Youth Program funds. Workforce Development staff said the county expects to serve a total of 512 individuals across both programs in 2026. Commissioner Conley asked about placement, pay, mentorship and coaching; Workforce Development staff said the programs leverage the Hennepin Go platform for career expos and coordinate with secondary and post‑secondary career and technical education partners to provide individualized coaching, career assessments, training, retention services and employment placement and retention supports.

Motion and outcome: Commissioners moved and passed the contract amendments to accept the Youth at Work competitive grant and Minnesota Youth Program funds and to increase contract amounts with partner organizations. The motion passed by voice vote.