100,000 Opportunities Initiative to Bring National Youth Hiring Movement to Los Angeles on Feb. 11

More than 30 national companies join forces with the City of Los
Angeles and LA County to bring the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative to
Los Angeles

Fair kicks off a long-term effort to employ LA’s Opportunity Youth –
16-24 year olds who are not in school or employed.

Registration now open for Feb. 11 Job Fair at LA Convention Center,
with hundreds of on-the-spot job offers available for positions across
LA County; participants will also have the opportunity to hear from
inspiring community leaders and receive free assistance with job and
scholarship applications, resumes, interviews, dressing for success,
social services, and more

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles County Supervisor Don
Knabe to join company executives and community leaders on Feb. 11

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The 100,000 Opportunities Initiative, a coalition of more than 30 top
U.S. companies including FedEx, HMS Host, Nordstrom, Papa John’s, Pizza
Hut, Starbucks, Sprinkles, Taco Bell, Target, TOMS, Walmart and more,
will kick off a long-term effort to connect Los Angeles County’s more
than 200,000 Opportunity Youth – 16-24 year olds who are disconnected
from school and employment – to meaningful job opportunities and
resources. The coalition is partnering with the City of Los Angeles, Los
Angeles County, the Alliance for Children’s Rights & Los Angeles
Opportunity Youth Collaborative, LA County Chamber of Commerce, Unite
LA, Los Angeles Unified School District, LeadersUp, and more than 30
other community-based organizations to bring this one-of-a-kind job fair
and forum to the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 11. Youth are
welcome to learn more and register for free at www.100kOpportunities.org/la.

The Opportunity Fair and Forum is expected to bring together nearly
4,000 youth to interview with dozens of leading employers, practice
their interview skills, learn to build a compelling resume, connect with
a range of social services, and receive coaching on their job
applications. Companies are also expected to make hundreds of job offers
on the spot, modeling similar job fairs the initiative hosted in Chicago
and Phoenix, which collectively attracted more than 6,000 youth and
generated more than 1,300 immediate job offers, launching a national
effort to hire at least 100,000 Opportunity Youth nationwide by 2018.

“We have already taken extraordinary strides in our efforts to support
today’s young people in Chicago and Phoenix, but our work is far from
done,” said Brian Niccol, Chief Executive Officer for Taco Bell, on
behalf of the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative. “Right here in Los
Angeles County, where Taco Bell began, we know that nearly 19 percent of
young people are out of school and not working, while hundreds of open
positions go unfilled each day. As one of America’s top employers and a
company passionate about building communities and helping youth find
their passions, we have a unique opportunity to inspire young people to
tap into their potential by equipping them with skills to succeed on the
job and in life.”

A Call to Action in Los Angeles

Two in five people who are unemployed in Los Angeles County are between
the ages of 16 and 24, with 19 percent absent from the workforce or
school. Further, 23.2 percent of African American youth and 14.6 percent
of Latino youth are disconnected, representing a significant proportion
of the nearly quarter-of-a-million Opportunity Youth in LA County. The
coalition will team up with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles
County Supervisor Don Knabe and their teams to ensure it is leading a
cross-sector, multi-agency effort to expand employment and education
opportunities for youth and sustain impact in the long term.

“Our young people are the lifeblood of Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles
Mayor Eric Garcetti. “The 100,000 Opportunities Initiative shows us what
is possible when we provide young men and women with access to job
opportunities. It immediately brightens their prospects and sets them on
a course for success that can last for a lifetime.”

“An opportunity is all these young people need—a chance to show their
skills and to work hard. Los Angeles County is proud to continue
investing in our youth, because we know the positive impact they will
make in their community and the private, public, and non-profit sectors.
Thank you to all businesses and organizations across the region for
giving our kids a chance to prove themselves and start their paths to a
successful career,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe.

The 100,000 Opportunities Initiative is generously supported by the
Arizona Community Foundation, California Endowment, Dominos, FedEx,
Hilton, HMS Host, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, MacArthur Foundation,
Macy’s, Papa John’s, Prudential Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation,
Schultz Family Foundation, Starbucks, Starbucks Foundation, Taco Bell,
Target, T-Mobile, Walmart Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Since launching in July 2015, the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative has
grown to more than 30 leading U.S. companies including Alaska Airlines,
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Cintas, CVS Health, Delaware North, Dominos,
FedEx, Hilton Worldwide, HMSHost, Hyatt, JCPenney, JPMorgan Chase, Lyft,
Macy’s, Mars, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Porch.com,
Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Prudential, Red Robin, Republic Services,
Sprinkles, Starbucks, Sweetgreen, Taco Bell, Target, Teavana, T-Mobile,
TOMS, VILLA, Walgreens and Walmart.

For more leader quotes from members of the 100,000 Opportunities
Initiative, visit: www.100kOpportunities.org.

Media interested in attending the event in Los Angeles must pre-register
for credentials by contacting media@100kOpportunities.org.

About the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative

The 100,000 Opportunities Initiative has the goal of creating the
nation’s largest employer-led private sector coalition committed to
creating pathways to employment for young people. Companies engaged in
the coalition will help to launch careers for young people that are just
entering the workforce, including internships, apprenticeships and on
the job training, in addition to developing potential in youth that have
some work experience but are looking to gain new skills that lead to a
successful career. For more information, please visit www.100kOpportunities.org.

Contacts

Starbucks Corporation
206-318-7100
press@starbucks.com
or
100,000
Opportunities Initiative
media@100kOpportunities.org