2024 Opportunity Youth Summit

CareerSource Hillsborough Pinellas is convening the region’s first Opportunity Youth Workforce Summit on Tuesday, Oct. 1, bringing education, business, and nonprofit leaders together to focus on young adults in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties who are disconnected from employment and education. The summit will serve as a regional think tank, fostering discussions and developing solutions to reengage these young people in the local economy.

The event will be held at the Tampa Marriott Water Street in downtown Tampa from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Attendees are asked to register online for a day of programming that will focus on strategies to get “opportunity youth” back in school or the local workforce.

Gary Hartfield, an award-winning serial entrepreneur, leader, author, and philanthropist currently serving as CareerSource Hillsborough Pinellas board treasurer, will emcee the event.

Federal agencies define “opportunity youth” as people between 16 and 24 who are disconnected from school and work. CareerSource Hillsborough Pinellas conducted research in 2023 and found 26,100 young people who meet this criteria, part of a nationwide trend recognized in Public Health Reports for the risk this societal disconnection poses to their emotional, behavioral, and physical health. Beyond the consequences for them individually, young people who are disconnected from employment and education “also represent a loss of human capital, with high social and economic costs.”

The Opportunity Youth Workforce Summit will provide attendees with valuable insights into Tampa Bay workforce trends centered around these young people. Experts will share research on population growth in the region, and businesses will have the opportunity to discuss target populations to meet their workforce needs.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available to businesses and organizations interested in supporting this effort. Sponsorship packages are available online.

Additional details about the event will be posted online.