STRATEGIES & KEY INITIATIVES
Grow Detroit’s Young Talent
Grow Detroit’s Young Talent (GDYT) is a citywide summer jobs program that trains and employs young adults between the ages of 14 and 24 for 6 weeks in July and August.
GDYT job placements are based on a developmentally appropriate, tiered model for summer employment:
- The Career Exploration tier introduces young people to first-time work and career opportunities through community service, team projects, and job shadowing.
- The Ready for Work tier places experienced youth with a host employer or in a vocational training experience, while continuing to build career readiness skills.
- The Career Pathways Internship tier is for young people with work experience have the opportunity to focus on a specific career pathway with a host employer.
2020 at a Glance:
- 8,006 total youth participated in summer work experience
- 499 youth participated in industry-led trainings
- 335 youth employed in virtual or in-person career pathway internships; 41% of these youth were offered employment post-GDYT
- 2,500 laptop packages distributed to youth (including Chromebook, Wi-Fi hotspot, and IT support)
- Launched the inaugural Mentorship Program that matched 71 youth with professional mentors
I always wanted to be an OBGYN. The EDSI Healthcare experience made me reflect on my entire career. After talking to the healthcare professionals, they made me look into other aspects of the medical field I never looked into before. I noticed I had passions that I really didn’t know I had.
–Zambrecia Works
GDYT virtual work experience participant