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Syracuse, Onondaga County seek businesses to hire youth this summer

 A man in a black shirt and a man in a peach shirt talk inside a warehouse.
Scott Willis
/
WAER News
Abraham Haley, left, chats with Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh at Tony Baird Electronics, June 2, 2023.

Syracuse and Onondaga County are calling on businesses and nonprofit organizations to consider hiring young people for summer jobs.  Several hundred youth can be put to work through the state-funded program.

The city, county and partners are hoping to find the right fit for eligible youth ages 14 through 20 to gain valuable, paid job experience during the six week program. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said he expects numerous businesses and organizations are seeking talent in this tight labor market.

"We are calling on any employer in the Central New York area, private employer, public employer: If you have the capacity, and the ability to bring young people into your workplace and give them valuable experiences this summer, we're willing to pay for that opportunity," Walsh said. "It's no charge to you, we just look for you to open your doors with open arms and be part of the solution.”

Tony Baird Electronics in Syracuse is among those businesses stepping up. President Tony Baird said he’s hired youth interns from On Point for College, one of the partnering organizations.

“They get to see the cultures at the companies that they're going to be working at. They come back to go back to school and different places. But they also want to come back to our place because they like the culture. And because I've told them that it's important that we have a relationship," Baird said.

The opportunities range from manufacturing to working in an office. Abraham Haley said he sought out summer job opportunities in business, marketing, and finance, including at the Southwest Community Center.

“It was great to learn and be able to communicate with all the upper management," Haley said. "I was also able to meet a lot of the younger kids that are in the program, to see how people in at Syracuse Community Connections are helping out the community when parents have to go to work. It's great to see something like that happening within our community”

Haley has since earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and is pursuing a career in sales.

Interested businesses and organizations can fill out the worksite application through CNY Works.  Youth must live in Syracuse or Onondaga County and meet income eligibility requirements.

A man in a white shirt makes remarks behind a lectern in a warehouse with five people behind him.
Scott Willis
/
WAER News
Tony Baird, President of Tony Baird Electronics, in his warehouse June 2, 2023.

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.