Growing Our Impact Through Innovative Workforce Solutions

For many young adults, getting a first job has become harder than ever. Seasonal and entry-level jobs that once allowed teenagers and young adults to gain experience are now largely filled by adults. According to The Urban Institute, changes in the labor market are contributing to a “youth employment crisis,” leaving many young people entering adulthood with no marketable job skills or work experience. For those from low-income communities, the challenge is even greater, as their families often lack the professional connections that can open the door to opportunity.

In 2023, Hope Builders saw an opportunity to expand its impact when the City of Anaheim sought a partner to launch a youth employment initiative providing paid internships as part of its COVID recovery efforts. As a result of that opportunity, Hope Builders eventually launched a second workforce development initiative aimed at closing the work experience gap. This innovative model offers work-based learning opportunities to more than 200 young adults between 16-28 years of age each year, in addition to the 200 served by our core programming.

Hope Builders leverages its staffing agency social enterprise, HBCC, to act as the employer of record, placing young adults in part-time, full-time, and summer internships with local nonprofits, the City of Anaheim, and Anaheim Union High School District. Over the past three years, Hope Builders offered 116,194 hours of work experience and paid $2,175,585 in wages directly to young adults on the job.

Neo, an internship participant, used the opportunity to build workplace skills, gain professional experience, and establish the foundation for long-term career success. Although he wanted to work in construction, Neo struggled in his first job. Without the support to navigate workplace expectations, he didn’t know how to ask for help before problems escalated, and his employment ended. Instead of giving up, he turned to Hope Builders.

HBCC placed Neo in a paid internship at the Anaheim Public Library, where supportive supervisors helped him develop the professional skills he had been missing. When the library partnered with Orange County Public Works on a construction project, they gave Neo the opportunity to shadow the crew. His work ethic and the confidence his managers placed in him impressed Orange County Public Works, who invited him to continue his internship and ultimately hired him full time in 2024.

Neo’s story shows why work-based learning is such a powerful model. It helps employers build their future workforce, gives young adults the paid experience needed to launch successful careers, and generates revenue through HBCC that strengthens Hope Builders’ core programs and expands our impact.