Registration for Mayor’s Youth Employment Program Now Open

Registration for Mayor's Youth Employment Program Now Open

Published on February 11, 2026

The American Job Center (AJC) invites high school seniors, college students, and youth ages 16 to 24 to participate in this summer's Mayor's Youth Employment Program. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 3. To apply, visit lincoln.ne.gov/YEP.

"The Mayor's Youth Employment Program is designed to give young people real-world skills while directly giving back to our community, contributing to the services that provide our high-quality of life here in Lincoln," said Dylan Wren, American Job Center Workforce Administrator.

Designed for young adults, this program connects participants with paid 10-week internships hosted by City of Lincoln agencies and include leadership development, career workshops, and workplace experience.

Participating City departments have included:

• Parks and Recreation: Interns work at recreation centers to assist with summer day camps and daily activities.
• Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU): Interns work with LTU communications staff to create video and graphic design for City and LTU websites and social media accounts.
• Watershed Management: Water quality interns assist with weather monitoring. Work includes maintaining remote monitoring equipment, collecting and processing water samples, and data entry/analysis.
• City Clerk: Interns assist with the daily operations of the clerk's office, including data entry, filing, record-keeping and customer service. Work also includes assisting with special projects and research as assigned.
• City Communications: Interns assist writing and broadcasting staff in delivering information about City government to the community.

Soulinnee Phan, City Clerk, said intern Ellie Nelson was a valuable addition to the Clerk's Office while serving as a graphic designer.

"Ellie has been an incredible asset to our office," Phan said. "She looked at our ideas and materials and turned them into beautifully branded manuals that are now essential resources for our new hires."

From July 2024 to June 2025, the American Job Center assisted 132 young people in exploring careers and preparing to enter the workforce. In addition to career guidance, the AJC supports job seekers at every stage of their journey, from getting started to reaching long-term goals, and through every challenge in between.

For more information about the Mayor's Youth Employment Program, visit lincoln.ne.gov/YEP.

For more information about the AJC, visit ajc.lincoln.ne.gov.