Empowering Small Businesses to Provide Employment Opportunities to Kansas' Youth
Event for entrepreneurs to learn about benefits of offering youth employment opportunities, mentorships, apprenticeships and on-the-job training
Manhattan, KS—The Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, the St. Mary's Chamber of Commerce, and Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation, in conjunction with small business organization Small Business Majority and with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, will host an event on Wednesday, April 8, 2015 to highlight the growing problem of youth unemployment and discuss ways small employers can help today's youth while boosting their bottom lines.
Local employer LiveWatch Security will be honored by Small Business Majority for their efforts to employ youth here in Kansas. A case study funded by The Rockefeller Foundation and conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, both of whom will be in attendance, will be shared to show the innovative ways LiveWatch has employed local youth. Jarvez Hall, Small Business Majority's Workforce Initiatives Manager, will present a national small business youth employer award as part of Small Business Majority's opportunity youth campaign to get small business owners to commit to providing employment, internship and mentorship opportunities to our nation's youth.
A question and answer period will follow the discussion.
Following the event, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce will host its monthly "Business After Hours" event and guests will be able to continue the discussion and interact with representatives from LiveWatch, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Economist Intelligence Unit and Small Business Majority.
"Small businesses have an important role to play in addressing the problem of youth unemployment in the United States, and we are proud to support their efforts to hire and train young people," said John Irons, managing director, global markets at The Rockefeller Foundation. "We have seen the immense business value that young workers can deliver to companies, and look forward to seeing the business communities in Kansas, and the Midwest as a whole, grow and thrive as they explore innovative youth hiring practices."
"Helping young people and making a profit are not mutually exclusive," said Jarvez Hall. "Small businesses have the power to create meaningful opportunities for today's youth and, in return, benefit from these new sources of skilled entry-level talent. Our goal is to help small employers find ways to connect with these folks, implement plans to utilize these fresh faces and help empower the next generation of workers."
"Attendees will have the chance to mingle with speakers from each organization and learn more about youth employment from business leaders," said Trent Armbrust from the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. "It's also a great chance to create new business relationships and connect with friends in an informal setting."
The event will take place on Wednesday, April 8, 2015 from 4pm to 5:15pm, with the "Business After Hours" networking event to follow immediately after. The event will be located at: Sunset Zoo Education Center located at 2333 Oak St., Manhattan, KS 66502.
For more information, please contact Dena Huff, Director of Communications, Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce at [email protected].
About Small Business Majority
Small Business Majority is a national small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners to focus on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses today. Since 2005, we have actively engaged small business owners and policymakers in support of public policy solutions, and have delivered information and resources to entrepreneurs that promote small business growth and drive a strong, sustainable economy. We are a team of more than 30 working from our 11 offices in Washington, D.C. and 9 states, with a network of more than 45,000 small business owners and more than 2,000 business organizations, along with a formal strategic partnership program of more than 125 business organizations, enabling us to reach more than 500,000 entrepreneurs. Our extensive scientific polling, focus groups and economic research help us educate and inform policymakers, the media and other stakeholders about issues including taxes, healthcare, access to capital, entrepreneurship, workforce development, clean energy and immigration. Learn more about us on our website and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.