(Washington, DC) – Today, the Bowser Administration and the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES) are hosting the 2022 Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (MBSYEP) Career Expo at University of the District of Columbia (UDC). The expo began at 10:00 a.m. and will run through 2:00 p.m. at the UDC-Student Center located at 4200 Connecticut Avenue NW.
“DOES is committed to securing continued investments in workforce training for District youth and connecting our youngest job seekers with opportunities to earn while they learn,” said DOES Director Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes. “The Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program encourages DC youth to dream big, take advantage of financial literacy tools and access to growing industries as they explore their future career paths.”
The University of the District of Columbia will provide a location for MBSYEP participants who are entering their senior year of high school the opportunity to meet with employers, ask questions, explore different career options, and gain information about summer jobs that are available around the District. Employers will conduct onsite interviews and will make hiring decisions during the expo.
Established in 1979 by Mayor Marion S. Barry, MBSYEP is a locally-funded initiative that provides District youth with six weeks of summer work experience through subsidized placements in the private and public sectors. The program partners with hundreds of DC employers that are uniquely positioned to provide relevant training and employment guidance to DC’s youth.
Two years ago, MBSYEP launched its first virtual program providing six weeks of work experience for approximately 9,000 youth and continued with a hybrid model in 2021 that provided nearly 12,000 youth summer earn and learn opportunities. MBSYEP utilizes the CareerEdge platform to allow participants to use their mobile devices to complete professional development sessions, practice job interviews and connect with employers, and will again offer in-person work options to older program youth.
This year, the program is slated to provide over 14,000 District youth the opportunity to earn while they learn and explore potential career paths. MBSYEP also continues its partnership with the federal Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) agencies - the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Securities Exchange Commission. Nearly 100 MBSYEP participants will again have the opportunity to gain valuable professional experience in the financial regulatory industry. The FIRREA agencies have intern cohorts from 11 DC high schools—Eastern, H.D. Woodson, Anacostia, Ballou, Cesar Chavez, Columbia Heights, Roosevelt, Cardozo, Ron Brown, Dunbar, and McKinley Tech.
MBSYEP continues to be the largest summer youth employment program per capita in the country and stands as a national model. The District has been recognized as one of the top cities for summer jobs by Forbes and WalletHub.
For more information about MBSYEP, visit summerjobs.dc.gov.