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County officials outline steps to strengthen youth employment pipelines
Summary
Prince George's County officials reviewed county hiring data and described programs — volunteer internships, SYEP, and a six‑month Youth at Work internship — to connect young residents to jobs, while acknowledging data and funding gaps that could limit long‑term results.
Vice Chair Watson convened the Education and Workforce Development Committee on Sept. 23 to press county staff on how local programs are building pipelines from schools into county jobs for young residents.
Deputy Director Valerie Farrar of the Office of Human Resources Management told the committee that the county receives about "45,000 applications for employment each year," while the county's workforce is roughly 7,000 employees and OHRM fills about 1,000 positions a year. Farrar said application forms do not require applicants to list the school they attended, so connecting hires back to institutions such as Prince George's Community College is imprecise: "I don't believe that is accurate data, but that is what I was only able to pull based on it not being a required field on the employment application," she said.
The county described three primary pathways for young people: a volunteer internship program (six months, unpaid experiential learning), the Summer Youth Enrichment Program (SYEP) with industry training and certification, and a new Youth at Work internship that provides six months of paid rotations and professional development. David Williams, who manages workforce development youth programs, said the first Youth at Work cohort had 18 completers and at least three participants who transitioned into full‑time county roles.
Officials acknowledged several barriers to scaling these pipelines: limited program funding (some advising positions are grant‑funded only through 2026), inconsistent school contact with career counselors, and low adoption of a county data system designed to track students. Walter, a county workforce official, said the new tracking system is being offered free to partners but only six of the 238 signed partners are using it now, limiting cradle‑to‑career measurement and evidence for sustaining grants.
The committee asked staff for follow‑up data on capacity, completion and employment retention — including how many students apply, complete training, and then obtain and remain in jobs — so council members can evaluate whether to expand funding or program length. Vice Chair Watson closed by thanking OHRM, Employer Prince George's and Prince George's Community College for the presentation and asking staff to return with additional data.
