Second Chance’s tenth deconstruction training class graduated today at the nonprofit’s workforce development and job training center at 1700 Ridgely Street in downtown Baltimore. The program, a longtime collaboration between Second Chance, Inc. and the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED), provides training in marketable, “green economy” job skills to people with multiple barriers to employment.

Baltimore, Maryland (June 10, 2015) – Youth Opportunity (YO) Baltimore hosted a special graduation event this evening for its 2015 class of 63 teens and young adults who chose to pursue alternative education after facing challenges in traditional settings. The event honored 47 graduates from the YO Academy, an alternative high school operated in partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools, and 16 young people who earned their Maryland high school diplomas through the city’s two YO centers in East and West Baltimore. The graduation was held at Johns Hopkins University’s Shriver Hall. Dr. LaMarr Darnell Shields delivered the keynote address.

The Mayor’s Office of Employment Development has changed the location for the YouthWorks summer jobs registration originally scheduled at the War Memorial Building on Saturday, March 7, 2015. YouthWorks candidates, who have appointments scheduled for that day, are encouraged to check their email for the new location.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced the appointment of Jason Perkins-Cohen as director of the Mayor's Office of Employment Development (MOED)—the office responsible for workforce development initiatives responsive to the needs of Baltimore City employers and job seekers. Perkins-Cohen succeeds longtime MOED director Karen Sitnick, who retired last month.