City youth hiring will hit target

CITY-BACKED workforce development programs will employ more than 109,000 young people this fiscal year, de Blasio administration officials said Thursday.

The city’s Center for Youth Employment, which is a division of the nonprofit Mayor’s Fund, set the goal of employing more than 100,000 young people in 2015, when it was founded as a partnership between the city and private employers. The aim is to develop job opportunities for young workers and build a pipeline of local talent.

“All young people possess talent and promise, yet most lack the networks and resources to gain meaningful work experience that prepares them for careers,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray, who chairs the Mayor’s Fund. “We created the Center for Youth Employment to help more young New Yorkers unlock their full potential and to give employers a local pool of qualified workers.”

Since 2015, the center has spent $9 million to fund youth employment programs.