City of Mobile and City of Gulf Shores Partner to Connect Youth to Jobs

May 16th, 2017

Mobile, Ala. -- The City of Mobile and City of Gulf Shores are collaborating to ensure bright futures for young people. Through the efforts of Mayor Stimpson's Youth Empowered for Success (YES) Initiative, applicants (ages 17-24) from the City of Mobile will work in the City of Gulf Shores during its peak summer season.

"I want to commend Mayor Craft and the City of Gulf Shores on their effort to increase access to employment for youth and thank the University of South Alabama for providing our youth the training skills for these job opportunities," said Mayor Stimpson. "Our young people need to be trained and working this summer to prepare them for this region's growing job market. We tell our youth that violence is not the answer, and now it's time to consistently provide options to empower them so that they can be successful."

For two weeks, the participants will receive workplace readiness training provided by the University of South Alabama's Hospitality and Tourism Department. Upon completion of the training, participants will receive a hospitality and tourism certificate. 100 participants will work with resort and hospitality organizations in various positions for a minimum of four weeks. Transportation will be provided to the participants at no cost to them.

"Investing in our young people by providing workplace training will enable them to be successful in life and will help to ensure our region has the skilled workforce necessary to support the growing needs of our businesses," said Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft. "This partnership provides a notable example of the meaningful progress that can be achieved through regional collaboration. I applaud Mayor Stimpson, the City of Mobile and the University of South Alabama for their leadership and continued efforts to advance Coastal Alabama."

This pilot program is the first Gulf Coast workforce development partnership to answer the growing demand of seasonal employment in Gulf Shores and the number of young people in the City of Mobile ready and eager to work. The collaborative pilot program is the effort of The City of Mobile, The City of Gulf Shores, the University of South Alabama, Mobile County Public Schools-Transportation Department, Baldwin Regional Area Transit System (BRATS), Brett-Robinson, Meyer Real Estate, Spectrum Resorts, Kiva Dunes and LuLu's Hospitality.