Local Employers Welcome Youth and Young Adult Employees With the Kickoff Of Step-up Omaha

Step Up Program Participants

Step-Up Omaha, a summer employment community initiative for Omaha youth and teens, kicks off June 3, 2025.

Step-Up Omaha provides critical skills for Omaha’s youth and young adults, while giving businesses access to driven talent and a way to give back meaningfully to their community.”
— Jonathan Chapman, VP, community collaboratives, Empowerment Network

OMAHA, NE, UNITED STATES, June 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today marks the kickoff of the 2025 Step-Up Omaha program, a community initiative dedicated to providing career exploration, job opportunities, internships and entrepreneurship avenues for youth and young adults aged 14-21. This year, Step-Up welcomed nearly 100 employer partners, reaffirming its commitment to empowering young people through paid internships, career exploration and hands-on workforce training.

Since its inception in 2008, Step-Up partners have introduced more than 9,000 young individuals to job training and career pathways. Wages for participants range from $10 to $14 or more per hour, depending on the worksite. Some employers offer interns the potential to earn as much as $3,000 or more during the summer.

This year, over 1,700 youth and young adults across Omaha applied to participate in the program and secure high-impact summer roles. These opportunities span industries including healthcare, technology, construction, education and nonprofit sectors.

Step-Up Omaha offers employers a unique chance to invest in Omaha’s future workforce. Businesses not only benefit from energetic and motivated interns, but also play a vital role in addressing workforce gaps and building community prosperity. In 2024, participating employers reported 100% satisfaction with high marks in professionalism, cooperation, and reliability.

“Step-Up Omaha provides critical skills for Omaha’s youth and young adults, while giving businesses access to driven talent and a way to give back meaningfully to their community,” said Jonathan Chapman, VP, community collaboratives, Empowerment Network. “Notably, over one-third of employers return year after year, a testament to the program’s consistency, effectiveness, and positive return on investment.”

The Empowerment Network and its partners have collaborated successfully to present Step-Up Omaha for 17 years, underscoring the commitment to comprehensive youth development. This year’s program will run from Tuesday, June 3 to Friday, Aug. 1.

"My children have benefitted greatly from being a part of Step-Up Omaha," said a parent of two previous Step-Up Omaha interns. "My older daughter was able to get connected with resources like Metro's Career Forward program, where she got her phlebotomy training covered. She just completed her first interview with Methodist successfully. My second daughter was just hired at a part-time job."

Step-Up Omaha is organized by Empowerment Network and supported by a network of funders and employers, including American National Bank, Charles E. Lakin Foundation, CHI Health, City of Omaha, Cox Communications, Google, Mutual of Omaha, Nebraska Department of Economic Development and United Way of the Midlands. Additionally, Step-Up partners with the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, a program that seeks to positively shift outcomes for boys and young men of color through the implementation of evidence-based practices.

To learn more about the Step-Up program, visit https://stepupomaha.com/.

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About Step-Up Omaha
Step-Up Omaha is a program dedicated to providing career exploration, job opportunities, internships, and entrepreneurship avenues for youth and young adults aged 14-21 in Omaha, Nebraska. Since its inception in 2008, Step-Up Omaha has connected thousands of young individuals with valuable job training and career pathways.

About the Empowerment Network
The Empowerment Network is a nonprofit organization committed to advancing economic, social and civic progress within Omaha's African American community, North Omaha and the region. Through collaborative efforts and innovative initiatives, the Empowerment Network strives to create opportunities for empowerment and transformation in every zip code and neighborhood in the City of Omaha and other national communities.

Vicki Quaites-Ferris
The Empowerment Network
+1 402-502-5153
email us here
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