Reimagining Summer Jobs as Career Pathways

Reflections from the Spring 2025 Learning Lab Convening

On Monday, April 28, the City of Boston’s Worker Empowerment Cabinet, in partnership with Northeastern University and Roxbury Community College (RCC), co-hosted the Spring 2025 Learning Lab Convening. The event, which was held at RCC, brought together over 60 youth employment leaders, employers, and workforce development practitioners to explore one central question: How can we make summer youth jobs more intentionally career-focused?

Boston’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) provides thousands of young people with their first experience in the workforce. These early jobs can be much more than just a paycheck. With thoughtful design, they can also offer exposure to career pathways, build professional and technical skills, and create opportunities for advancement over time. 

The convening focused on structuring summer jobs so that they better connect to long-term opportunities in sectors like healthcare, culinary arts, early childhood education, and green jobs. The event featured three core components: 

• a research presentation by Dr. Alicia Sasser Modestino of Northeastern University, 
• a panel of summer jobs employers sharing promising models, 
• and a workshop where attendees explored how to apply these strategies in their own organizations. 

Below are key takeaways from the employer panel.

Distinct program models with shared goals

Panelists represented a wide range of programs, but all shared a commitment to centering youth development and career readiness. For example:

• Future Chefs offers a tiered model in which youth move from foundational culinary roles to leadership roles. Youth take full ownership of projects while building both technical and professional skills. The summer program includes coaching sessions focused on postsecondary planning and personal development.
• Artists For Humanity (AFH) integrates youth into creative studios where they work on real client projects under the guidance of professional artist-mentors. AFH also hosts Career Talks that connect young people with alumni working across a wide range of industries, helping them build professional networks and explore diverse careers.
• Mass General Brigham partners with Edward M. Kennedy High School to introduce students to five healthcare career pathways through guest speakers, on-site visits, and summer program opportunities. The model links career exploration with the school’s Career and Technical Education and early college pathways.
• BCYF has restructured its summer jobs model to ensure mentorship and skill-building are built into daily programming. Full-time staff are assigned to mentor smaller groups of teens, and the summer includes workshops on executive functioning, civic engagement, and certifications like lifeguarding and sports officiating.
• Cathleen Stone Island Outward Bound provides a three-year progression that builds environmental literacy and green career skills. High school students participate in environmental justice programming, sustainable carpentry, and internships that connect to city and state park work.

Common strategies across models

Across the panel, several themes stood out:

• Mentorship as infrastructure: Programs embedded mentoring into their structures, assigning staff to specific youth cohorts, or building mentor relationships directly into studio and project work.
• Clear pathways for progression: Many programs offer youth opportunities to return each summer, take on more advanced roles, and move from participant to leader.
• Exposure to real careers: Whether through hospital visits, client projects, or alumni speakers, all programs found ways to connect youth with the real-world demands and possibilities of different professions.
• Credential and skill-building: Some programs offer formal credentials, while others focus on soft skills and project-based learning that align with career readiness.

Looking ahead

The convening also introduced a working framework for career-aligned summer job design. Employers were invited to engage with the framework and offer feedback, which will help shape future toolkits and technical assistance efforts. Through the panel and workshop discussions, it became clear that Boston has both the vision and the building blocks to make summer jobs a more strategic part of the city’s workforce development pipeline. Find the event materials here.