How do young people overcome different learning gaps left by the Covid-19 pandemic? What are some robust supports, including mentoring and apprenticeship programs, available to them in the wake of the pandemic? And how can they decide between taking a job now versus the potential of earning higher wages later, after receiving a college degree?

These were some of the more compelling questions identified and discussed at the Fed Listens event, Joining the Labor Force After Covid—A Discussion on Youth Employment, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on August 22, 2023.

Attendees heard the perspectives of Chicago Fed President and CEO Austan Goolsbee and Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman. But most of the event was devoted to a panel made up of a recent graduate of the Chicago Public Schools and workforce development leaders from across the Chicago Fed’s Midwest region. Among those leaders were an Iowa community college president and a Milwaukee construction apprenticeship coordinator.

Focusing on youth who had to navigate the disruptive experience of being in high school or college during the pandemic, the event also included panelists who have been leading workforce development initiatives for young people aged 16–24 in Detroit and Indianapolis. (The panelist’s names and bios, plus the agenda, are below.)

One theme that several speakers highlighted was the importance of providing supports and resources for young people to succeed today. Panelist Jose Luevano, construction readiness coordinator at Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership|Big Step said, “As far as what pushes students to get their career started, I would say [it] is just having somebody there for you.”

The transcript and video replay, plus links to the text of Goolsbee’s and Bowman’s opening remarks, follow.

Fed Listens is a Federal Reserve System initiative that began in 2019 as a way to hear about how monetary policy affects peoples’ daily lives and livelihoods. Since 2021, these sessions have focused on listening to diverse perspectives on how communities were impacted by and are recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.