Tennessee's Youth Employment Program

Youths work at Aztec Masonry in Memphis as part of the Youth Employment Program. (Courtesy of Peer Power Foundation)

YEP Is Ready to Serve More Tennesseans After Stellar Start

By Karen Grigsby
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

After a hugely successful first year, Tennessee’s Youth Employment Program is gearing up to serve even more young people and businesses across the state.

YEP connects youths between the ages of 14 and 24 with employers representing a wide range of industries. Youths can explore future careers, develop valuable skills, and gain hands-on experience — all while getting paid up to $3,500. Businesses can build their talent pipelines while the state covers the costs.

The earn and learn program is overseen by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

TDLWD Commissioner Deniece Thomas said YEP exceeded all expectations. The Department anticipated 2,500 to 3,000 youths would enroll in the program. That number was closer to 5,000, she said. More than 1,200 employers participated as well.

“We could not have scripted a better year, and we’re super excited about what it means going forward,” she said. “We obviously want to grow the program. If the first year was any indication, this will be an incredible trajectory for workforce development and youth in the state of Tennessee.”

A ‘Godsend’ for Businesses

Peer Power Foundation, an educational nonprofit in Memphis, had been looking for an opportunity to partner with the state. When leaders there learned about YEP, they saw it as a perfect fit with their mission of empowering young people and preparing them for the workforce.

Peer Power applied for and received grant funds to administer YEP in the Memphis area, coordinating youths and employers. About 400 youths signed up for YEP, double the number Peer Power had listed in its grant application. An additional 80 to 100 were put on a waiting list.

“I think originally starting out, we were kind of thinking a little bit small, but as more people started to hear about the program, it basically grew like wildfire,” said Dr. Sara Benson, the Lead People and Program Officer at Peer Power.

Businesses were eager to get on board as well. Not only does the state cover youths’ wages, but YEP administrators handle payroll and insurance, allowing employers to avoid the administrative hassle and focus on providing youths with a safe, meaningful work experience.

Peer Power partnered with 55 to 60 employers, including construction companies, law firms, a basketball training facility, and a bakery.  

Before YEP, small businesses had wanted to offer internships to the young people in their communities but didn’t have the resources, said Cortney Richardson, Chief Executive Officer of Peer Power. YEP proved to be a game-changer for them.

“People were hungry or thirsty for this type of opportunity,” he said. “Through Peer Power, we were able to disperse more than $1 million in wages to small women-owned, minority-owned, locally owned and run businesses. That’s significant.”

Businesses have already reached out about participating in YEP again this year.

“I’ve been getting phone calls since January, actually December, really since it ended in August of people who just wanted to be a part,” Benson said. “Once people heard about this, they were telling their friends who are small-business owners as well. … This was really a godsend for many of them.”

Perry County, one of nine distressed counties in Tennessee, has just 9,000 residents and a per capita market income of $22,300. (Davidson County, in comparison, has a per capita market income of $76,300.)

Through YEP, 114 Perry County youths landed much-needed jobs last year.

“These youth, they’ve been told no so much because you can go to a place that’s full capacity and ask for a job, but you’re not getting hired,” said Chris Trull, owner of Buffalo River Resort, a kayak and canoe company in Lobelville that employed over two dozen YEP participants last summer. “It was great to see these kids so eager to have a chance.”

Trull says YEP is equally rewarding for businesses. At Buffalo River, he challenged his young workers to try new tasks, overcome their fears, and build their confidence.

“It’s always great to be able to give back to the youth, to see them grow and just take pride,” he said. “At the end of the day they could see what they had done and what they achieved.”

Gaining Valuable Experience

Andriana Herman didn’t have to go far to learn about YEP.

By last spring, she had spent two years working as an English Success Coach at Peer Power while studying criminal justice at the University of Memphis. As a Success Coach, she mentored students at Melrose High School, helping them in the classroom and keeping them focused and motivated.

Herman found out about YEP from her supervisor at Peer Power but thought the program was for teenagers only. Once she learned that she was eligible, she signed up for it.

“Everyone on my team knew that I was looking for some sort of legal internship to get more experience under my belt before getting into law school,” she said.

Herman found that experience at Young Robinson Law, where she spent last summer working as an environmental law intern. The firm’s cases largely involved abandoned or blighted properties in Memphis. Herman was responsible for researching the properties, drafting legal documents, and attending court proceedings.

“I liked going to court a lot just because it’s just so many different scenarios and so many different people that can come in and kind of shake up a routine initial setting date or continuance date,” she said.

Even though Herman said her time at Young Robinson was short, she called it a “great experience.”

Herman now works as a pro bono paralegal at West Tennessee Legal Services while waiting to hear back from law schools. Even though her bachelor’s degree is in criminal law, the former athlete says she may pursue sports law or some other niche area, such as civil rights work.

Thanks to YEP, she hasn’t ruled out environmental law either.