Improve Talent Pipeline

Creating a culture of innovation in a city begins with educating citizens about entrepreneurship. Upstream efforts focus on instilling lessons of basic business practices to a community’s youth through summer internship programs. Other successful efforts include city-sponsored business training workshops for public housing residents in target communities.

CASE STUDY: LOUISVILLE’S SUMMERWORKS PROGRAM

Public-private partnership that encourages Louisville’s businesses to hire high schoolers from underrepresented communities for internships

OVERVIEW

  • Origin: Founded by Mayor Greg Fischer in 2012
  • Funding: In 2016, summer jobs funded by $600k in local government’s budget and $135k from non-profit organizations
  • Local government acts as lynchpin in entire process from funding the internships, coordinating corporation sign-up, managing student application process

RESULTS TO DATE

  • Increased from 200 internships provided to 4,200 in four years
  • Academic studies performed and linked SummerWorks to higher levels of educational attainment and entrepreneurial appetite
  • Recognized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2014 as one of the nation’s preeminent youth summer job programs

CASE STUDY: NEW YORK’S FOOD BUSINESS PATHWAYS

Business accelerator program that provides free business training and ongoing support for public housing residents to start their own businesses in the food industry

OVERVIEW

  • Origin: Started in January 2015; collaboration between City’s Housing Authority and Economic Development Corporation
  • Funding: In 2016 budget, $360k in annual operating costs
  • Program structure: 10 week intensive training course + ongoing coaching + graduates receive free resources such as city permits and incubator space

RESULTS TO DATE

  • 82 percent of participants completed intensive training course
  • 111 new food businesses have been created
  • 5 cohorts that include 139 individuals have completed the program to start the 111 businesses
  • Job creation numbers have yet to be published
  • Initial evidence points to resounding success of program
  • Program to be reevaluated for 2018 budget