Maryland kicks off 'first meaningful life-skills internship'

A group of state agencies kicked off their part in Baltimore's expanded summer jobs program Monday, assembling more than 60 YouthWorks participants to hear pep talks from department leaders and Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford.

The launch comes after the state contributed to help the City of Baltimore meet a key goal of offering 8,000 jobs under the YouthWorks program, which offers five-week paid positions to workers ages 14 to 21. That goal, pushed by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in the aftermath of April's rioting, represents an increase of nearly 3,000 jobs from previous years.

It costs about $1.5 million to pay for 1,000 jobs under the program, which places workers at both public and private employers. The state put in $3.3 million this year.

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