2016 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition: Improving Systems to Help People with Barriers Gain and Sustain Employment

The tenth annual Local Government Case Competition engaged graduate students in thinking about creative solutions to employment challenges for vulnerable Allegheny County residents. They were asked to develop strategies to address one of three employment-related questions:

  • How can job centers or other employment resources better support vulnerable populations in finding and maintaining jobs?
  • How can systems work together to encourage businesses to hire vulnerable populations?
  • How can systems work together to support, equip and empower job seekers to achieve higher wages and advance along their career pathways?

All 15 teams identified interesting strategies to address these questions for a variety of target populations. The four winning teams focused on youth exiting the foster care system and English-language learners, and proposed a variety of mentoring, networking and technology solutions designed to meet their specific employment-related needs.

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