Gary T. Hartfield Champions Youth Workforce Development at CareerSource Summit

CareerSource Hillsborough Pinellas’ new Opportunity Youth Workforce Summit aims to educate local business leaders on connecting young adults to the local workforce.

The summit will act as a regional think tank and will be held on Oct. 1 at the Tampa Marriott Water Street. A September 2024 report from CareerSource found there are more than 27,300 opportunity youth — 16- to 24-year-olds who are neither in school nor employed — in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Michelle Zieziula, COO of CareerSource, said the organization’s strategic plan in 2020 included focusing on developing the future workforce in the region. A large piece of that included connecting youth to the workforce or an education path.