Mayor Bowser Announces Job Training Programs for District Residents

(Washington, DC) — Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a supplemental budget for the 2015 Fiscal Year with the goal of creating a safer, stronger DC – by putting more residents on their pathway to the middle class.

“Washington, DC is only as strong as our residents, families, neighborhoods, and communities.  And that is where my Administration is focusing our attention,” said Mayor Bowser. “Through my FY15 Supplemental Budget, we will create more job training opportunities for District residents, and we will invest the resources needed to make the District safer and stronger.”

The supplemental budget includes funding for several initiatives that will create job opportunities, support communities and neighborhoods, and invest resources to fight crime.

Mayor Bowser’s supplemental budget will fund a new Career Connection Program for at-risk young adults.  Currently, the District’s unemployment rate for 20-24-year-olds is around 12 percent, compared to the national rate of 6.8 percent. Mayor Bowser is proposing an extended program that will help the District’s most at-risk young people find their pathway to long-term careers. The program will provide on-the-job training for approximately 400 at-risk young adults and connect them with wraparound services and transportation subsidies to ensure their continued success.

The Mayor’s proposal will also support the expansion of the District’s LEAP Academy, trains residents in growing fields and place them in jobs.  Specifically, the expanded program will connect approximately 25 people to waste collection and fleet maintenance positions with the Department of Public Works (DPW).  And the program will connect around 29 people with customer service jobs at understaffed Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) facilities.

Additionally, the Mayor’s supplemental budget will fund recently announced initiatives to fight crime, and support neighborhoods affected by crime.  This includes: fully funding Body Worn Camera (BWC) program; incentivizing businesses, churches and local organizations to install security cameras; providing mini grants to local organizations and individuals that provide services to at-risk neighborhoods; providing resources to support the important work of the Department of Forensic Services (the District’s crime lab); and putting more police on the streets.

Mayor Bowser’s announcement comes as the Council of the District of Columbia reconvenes, following its summer recess. View a summary of the FY15 supplemental budget here.