is to focus on the disengage community, the ones who have really had a hard time with turning the corner on the training aspect. we worked for years on this training. people want to be paid and earn respect. when you are near success, that is what sustains it. that is what sustains you. that is the spirit i came back with. this is the association i have had with the departments, with the community, with businesses, with nonprofits, all working together on this wonderful goal. we have not only reached it. we have exceeded it. and we have suggested this is not just a summer thing. we are going to turn this into a year-long, and year round. kids go to school. they need that income. it is hard. without the city embracing this and encouraging the private sector -- we are so fortunate

that we are at a time when business is picking up. we are doing other things successfully to build confidence in our city. our unemployment rate in the last year and a half went down from 9.8%, a year ago, when i first started, to 7.8%. we are still going further down. i want to thank you for your personal involvement and leadership in the administration. you saw some of this happening, and you wanted to make a federal investment. $5 million for us to make sure there is no digital divide in our communities. when we create all these tech companies, and technology overlays with manufacturing, with fashion, with all the things happening, we have to spend extra time and resources to bridge that gap, to make sure city college and the school

district can emphasize science and math, and that we do the training not only for the kids, but also for returning veterans and people that want to change mid career and get into the new economy. everything is tied-oriented, whether it is working at a restaurant or hotel. i was at a manufacturing plant last week. they have technology that was put on the cutting machines, just so there is a precise cut. there were doing it on an h-p had. -- pad. that is a cutting machine in a blue-collar setting. the have to be able to read that stuff and input it. that resulted in some of these neat ipad covers. the have to have precise cuts, because they are using sustainable material like bamboo. it has to be precise.

they are doing 90,000 of this this year, to give you an example. it all goes to show that when federal policies get right down to the neighborhoods, and that you have not only a mayor, but a school district and community partners that are taking this to heart, that we can do this. we can offer not only temporary jobs. we can build a lifetime -- a lifeline, changing lives for years to come. it really does work, this policy, and the kind of investment that is coming out of the administration. it has been extremely helpful. it is an update for you. but it is also an announcement that we got there, and we are committed to build a platform around it for years to come, and get these kids engage. we'll also talk about, as we learn how to improve the

workforce investment act, to share the ideas with you. we are excited about helping undocumented youth also get into the workforce. we know the decree the president signed onto would give us another opportunity to bring in more youth that is right now disengage. now, there is hope. we are going to be committed to bringing them in. i want to thank everyone in the room. you will hear from the youth involved. you will hear from some of the agencies. it is a great start. it is a great time to be in san francisco. i want to thank you again for igniting a spirit around this. it is great work. >> thank you. [applause] >> thank you for being here. >> it does not take much for me to come back out to california.

this is home. i want to say how proud i am to be here with you in san francisco. while i was raised in los angeles, we are only a stone's throw away. whatever happens in l.a. and san francisco, we are married. i have always used that, in terms of my professional career. mayor, i want to thank you for your leadership and enthusiasm. obviously, you have done tremendous work here. you have turned the unemployment rate, where it was so high. we know that some many families were suffering, and businesses were hurting, and people of all ages were looking for hope. we know here in san francisco that they have good leadership, people who are accountable, who want to make sure everybody receive some relief. it is coming together. you have just given, i think, my speech. this is about giving partnerships together. all of you here today --

especially, i want to hear from the young people. but more importantly, to think the business partners. to be honest, i often get asked -- you are in charge of the department of labour. how many jobs have you created? i do not create jobs. i help incentivize partners. thank you for your enthusiasm. and also to all of you. the bottom line is about helping our engines of growth, whether it is a non-profit, an educational institution, the city government, or the private sector. that is where the wheels turn. that is where the jobs are going to be made. san francisco is in a unique position. it is taking off, because of the investments the president has made. he has looked at investments in high tech, in energy efficiency, remapping our schools. i am so happy you are here to

hear about the wonderful things happening to captivate our young people, so that learning is real to them, and it is not just sitting and listening to lectures, but also getting on the job training, critical thinking, being exposed to what the real world is, in terms of work. that is something i think all of us are learning. i run our department of labor and job-training programs. we know how important it is now, especially for our area and people, to understand it is not good enough anymore to have a ged. it has to be much more. we have to work in partnership with our industries. our industries want to have credentialed people. you are right on target about the new technology that is having an overlay effect on all of our jobs. even in blue-collar jobs like manufacturing, there is an overlap of technology that is immersed in this industry now, whether you are producing old

widgets or new widgets. it all comes together. the basic premise is having a broad base of support -- math, science, engineering, critical thinking skills, and the ability to learn on the job. i am so happy about this initiative we are here today to celebrate, and the 5002. that deserves a round of applause. [applause] mayor, especially because we know, in these tough economic times -- in the last two years, we did not get the same amount of startup money we got in the recovery act at the beginning of this administration. we were not going to just let that fall. in this time when we are still recuperating, we know there are good business partners, and i want to thank them and our nonprofits for stepping up to

the plate. it makes a difference. i am sure we will hear from the young people what that has done for them. it is about giving young people respect and dignity, teaching them the work ethic of showing up at work, understanding the discipline it takes. even though you may come from a household where nobody is working, or someone is not there to show you the ropes, or the decorum in an office or manufacturing facility, that you can come to work and get that given to you through these programs and efforts. it is priceless. you cannot put a price on that. the value that instills in young people is so important. i am sure everyone of you in this room could think about your first job, your first summer job. my first summer job was a recreational and ada. i was 15 years old, 16 years old. i remember thinking, this is

going to be a fun job. it is summertime. i get to hang out. not at all. show up to work on time. the responsible. give directions. listen to your supervisor. i got to distribute mills to low income families. i also learned how to supervise other people and youngsters, who have a lot of time on their hands, and take them out of our local city to go to activities outside the have never been exposed to. some of the kids where i grew up and never been to the beach, never done any kind of out of such activity. it is very limited. even the small nuances helped to change me and them. but the best part about it was that at the end of my first two weeks there, i got my check. i remember coming home and saying, mom, look at this. i knew i could save that money,

put it away, and have helped for school that coming fall. i grew up in a large family, with seven kids. mom and dad were working. but just the value of knowing somebody placed a concern on me, and said you are worthy enough to get a job here, but you have to work it out, you have to show up and fall into all the things that require you to be a good employee -- i learned that. just by being exposed to that experience at an early age, meeting new people encouraged me and pushed me to do more. thank goodness, because now i am secretary of labor. i have high school counselors who said i was not college material. just think, if i let that person hold me back. i had other people encouraging me, people that were not even family members. that was a life changer, for me to be exposed to these kind of

efforts, which have a very important structured approach to how we can make things better in our communities and our neighborhoods, and help young people, to give them hope and inspiration, and help to give back. that is something i think all of us are gaining from this experience. we have taken this whole program, the summer youth initiative, to a new level. we have over 100 corporations. we have mayors across the country that have come on board, even the mayor of los angeles. also in philadelphia, detroit. they are all coming in with their own sense of, "my goal is 5000 jobs." i bet we can still get more mares to jump on board. so we are not done. we still have more to do. the fact that we can set this up through the department of labor, our own internet, and put this

up and create a job bank, where we can interchange and work with our partners to make sure that employers can list the jobs and that young people can go on very easily and get more information. the point is that we need to have some structure for young people. young people right now and need this. our communities need it. we are able to do it, and we should be doing it. the president is strongly behind this effort. while we know we still need to do more, we need to talk about expanding programs year round for youth, for dislocated workers, and for our veterans. we have a lot of veterans coming home who are between the ages of 18 and 24. the qualify for these programs. some of them will come back with some challenging effects. they are going to need a lot of encouragement. i hope the business community

steps up to the plate and allows them the opportunity to serve, and maybe take advantage of the tax credits available to hire veterans and disabled veterans, incentivizing businesses to take advantage of the tax credits the president has put forward, to say it is good for us to make those investments here in the u.s., to bring jobs home, to do in-sourcing, and cut the loopholes that have incentivized corporations to go abroad. we know it is a competitive global environment. it is fine. but make sure we take care of our base. our base is around this table and around the country, looking for leadership. we need the mayor, civic leaders, and business leaders to make the investment. that is what it is about. i am here to listen, to hear what exciting things you have been involved with, and hopefully take that back and

encourage our leaders across this country, and businesses to get engage. it is about all of us working together, and about equalizing opportunities. i still believe, in my heart of hearts, that this is the best place to grow up and live in this great country of ours. it has so many opportunities. our young people need to understand that it is yours for the taking. if you do not move on it, somebody else will. now is our opportunity to build that support, to build a sense of family, that we are all working together, and that we can all lift each other up in that way. i am excited to be here, and want to tell you how deeply appreciative i am of your support. i am delighted to be able to go back and talk to the cabinet members and the president about the successes here in san francisco. thank you very much. [applause]

>> i know that the mayor and our superintendent cannot stay the entire time, so i will vary from the script a moment. can you share a moment of your vision as far as trading opportunities for young people? >> the highlight of the program is going to be hearing from the young people who are here today. thank you, secretary, for being here. i think it is a strong indication of the strong desire to have everyone to have these experiences. this would not be possible without the visionary leadership of our mayor. mayor earlier -- the mayor walks the talk every day. he always acts to empower the children. what him we do to better partner? we talk about 21st century learning, and what that means

for our students, and that a global education is really global. it is beyond the classroom. it is about the experiences that connect the learning to the real world. one of the things we have very quickly learned is this notion of 21st century skills and careers. we had, in the past, been a little stymied in how we make those connections. this initiative has been a wonderful catalyst in connecting the students that had previously taken on paid volunteers internship positions in connected them to these jobs. over 200 of those 5002 jobs have been students that are not only getting the rich learning experience in a real-world setting, but also fulfilling some credit as part of their curriculum, with 21st century skills.

we all know that students go to school to read and to write, to learn to do arithmetic. these experiences give students something to read about and rightabout. it is something that makes you learning so enriching. we believe it is possible. it is just too we are in san francisco. it is about having the vision, and making that vision a reality. you will hear from our young scholars just how real that is. to celebrate it means so much to us. there will illegitimizes, for all of our partners, the value of what this means. >> thank you. >> let us turn now and hear from our young people. you first. just briefly. do not worry. your getting a great set of experiences here.

one thing, as you think about moving on -- something you think away from that. secondly, what are your career aspirations? what you think you would like to do? >> i would like to take that multitasking -- michael, my manager, is here. i just heard a game. what is that? a look over to my e-mail. we are going to be communicating through e-mail. it was just like time management. it was a big thing for me. i am very organized. it really tests my skills. and another thing, as far as my future. i am going to university this

coming fall, i believe in a week. i am majoring in business administrative and entertainment culture. i hope to not only graduate with a degree, but to have a job as well. >> thank you. >> is an gonzalez, from facebook. and want to follow up that it is great to hear you are pursuing an education in technology, particularly in the bay area. we just launched facebook academy, where we have students working from east palo alto. to expose our youth to technology -- that is the future. i think what is interesting is social media, where we work on a

social jobs partnership. how do we leverage the social web? i want to put this on the table as part of the broader conversation. for example, zynga would not exist without facebook. zynga has more employees than facebook. if we can bring the youth into all of this and the development of apps, i think we have a wonderful opportunity. >> at jomon, would you take away from that experience? -- at jawbone, what do you take away from that experience? >> to be active and take the initiative in the office. i worked at the front desk, doing office coordination. i make sure all the other employees making this technology

are happy, and everything is going seamlessly. i want to better manage my time, to manage my money, because i have to pay my rent. i was so happy i got an inlimning in san francisco is so important. my family is from here. i do not want to leave. my family moved here in the 1950's. i still have great-grandparent's here. my family is not wealthy. i do not have anybody in my family. i have to be that person for my family. i have to show what it is like to work hard. that is what i took from it. for my future, i have been going to city college in san francisco. the budget is so bad.

it takes a student like me forever to graduate from the school, because they hold back the valuable classes you need, which is english and math. i already have like 60 units. i am right at the foot of having a degree. but i cannot, because my hands are tied. it is so expensive to go, after you have gotten to the 60 unit limit. they put some many limitations. having a job is a necessity. i would not be able to survive without it. thank you guys for all the effort. it is working. >> thanks for not only the work you are doing, but the guidance you are providing. what would you take away from your experience at good will? >> reconnecting local pathways.

i will take a lot of skills. my most valuable is public speaking. we do a lot of in-class training. my biggest fear was public speaking. from what i learned so far, i am applying it today. [laughter] and that has helped me with my speech, because i talk fast, but now i am slowing down. i am getting more comfortable. i did not know what it meant, coming into the program, but now i know the quality of work, punctuation, professionalism. i can apply those to my daily life, my career aspects. my short-term goal is to become and the ministry to manager in a law firm. my long-term goal is to become a scientist. -- is to become a firefighter. >> republics began skills are

great. >> i am with the department of transportation. i develop my skills in communication. that is something i can take away from an internship. i can use it anywhere. not just in jobs, but just in my daily life, in communicating with everyone. job training is not something you learn in school. you have to get it at a job. it is invaluable. anywhere you are going in your future. that is why it is really important for me. for my future, i plan to go to uc-berkeley and major in business. >> excellent. can you keep telling the media and communications are not not boring?

part of the equation of making this a meaningful experience for young people are the managers, the folks working with them. over the season at jawbone, how did you approach supported young people as they come into your environment? >> he is playing a critical role, in terms of working the front desk. that is important to us. when you look of the internships, it is not necessarily what we are doing for them, but what he is doing for us. we want to show appreciation to you as well. it is important to us. it is important to our business needs, right? there is a severe need for talent in our industry. there is a 7.3% unemployment

rate in the city, but in the stem fields, it is intense and challenging to find the talent we are looking for. to have somebody working our business and understand what we do this very important. you have to understand the skills it takes to be successful in our business. that is important to our company and to the community. what is important is getting the talent, and having the best in terms come in is critical to that. i do appreciate all the credit to you are showing, but for us, it is part of our business. it is critical. as we think about how we manage, we treat him like any other employees.

for us, in terms of the future, this is our first year of having 10 interns. we have 10 internes and 100 people. it is a lot. and we are getting more work done. it is exciting for the future. >> thank you for your leadership. really appreciate it. references made to the opportunities to create access and exposure, and hopefully careers in the tax base, because of the prevalence of attack across all -- prevalence of tech across all industries. you name it. if you do not know some level of technological proficiency, you are going to be challenged. i am going to ask from the to top a moment about 0 -- ask rhonda to talk a moment about tech sf.

>> we have a dollars million in grants from the workforce innovation fund. our initiative is a continuation of what we started with our sector, and technology was and national -- a natural extension of what we of been doing. this is just the natural extension to continue to train folks. we have a lot of students we hope will go through and get a job once they are done, to receive an internship or some other type of employment opportunity. that is why we want to thank you and all the companies that will partner with us. the mayor has been engaged in just about every company, as part of what we are calling tech sf advisory committee. we have a number of community- based organizations that o