Youth Excel and Hire Houston Youth

Program Description: 

Youth Excel is an initiative organized by the National League of Cities to help municipalities support marginalized young people to achieve career success by helping them overcome barriers to the workforce. They partner with a handful of cities around the country by providing funding with  
 
In Houston, Texas, Youth Excel has partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Education and Youth Engagement, which used funding from Youth Excel’s Advancing Economic Mobility Grant to create the organization Hire Houston Youth. This program provides access to internships and young people throughout the city and grants them hands-on internship experience in public, private, and philanthropic sectors.  
 
Summer interns can work eight weeks a summer at a variety of public and private partner employers, while school year interns work ten hours a week for up to eight weeks a semester at positions within city goverment. They are paid $15 an hour. Students also receive job training in entry-level work skills like data entry, event planning, policy research, and other technical and clerical duties. Interns placed with the city attend city council meetings and community functions, to learn more about job opportunities available in the city. 
 
Youth who participate in the program are also connected to one “wraparound service,” like mental health counseling, training in financial literacy, or childcare and transportation assistance. 

Impact:

Since 2016, the Hire Houston Youth has placed 40,000 young people aged 16-24 in internships, apprenticeships, and job opportunities. Summer interns can work for a minimum of 8 weeks as summer interns. The program also offers youth job readiness training, and has served 30,000 youth workers since 2016. 

Population Served: 

Marginalized young people, students of color. 

Learn more here.

Page last updated in August 2026