FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2012

Contacts: Brice Freeman, MOED, 410-396-1910, bfreeman@oedworks.com Michael McCoy, Wells Fargo, 202-303-3029, michael.mccoy@wellsfargo.com

Wells Fargo Hosts Hire One Youth Job Fair for Baltimore Students Seeking Summer Jobs in the Banking Industry Baltimore, Maryland (May 10, 2012) – Wells Fargo Bank organized and hosted a job fair to connect Baltimore City high school students with part-time summer jobs in the banking industry. Recruiters from eight local financial institutions – BB&T, Citi, Hamilton Bank, Harbor Bank, M&T, MECU and Wells Fargo – participated in the fair as part of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s Hire One Youth campaign, which challenges Baltimore employer to hire at least one job-ready 16- to 21-year-old this summer through the city’s YouthWorks program. Sixty students took part in the job fair, all of them graduating Baltimore City high school seniors seeking a summer job through the YouthWorks program. Three students have already been offered positions, and 13 are preparing for second interviews with some of the banks. In total, 185 job interviews were conducted during the fair. Desmine McBride (photo attached), a student at the Academy for College and Career Exploration (ACCE) in Hampden, is one of the students moving on to the second round of interviews. He participated in YouthWorks in 2009 and 2010, working for a landscaping company both years, and said the experience taught him how to work well with other people and build his social skills. He likes math and is interested in exploring a career in finance. Andy Bertamini, Maryland regional president for Wells Fargo, is one of eleven local business leaders from various industries who are part of Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s Hire One Youth Leadership Team. Mr. Bertamini asked all employers that participated in the job fair complete a written assessment afterward; they all stated that they were “satisfied to extremely satisfied” with the experience. “I appreciate the opportunity to help provide employment for some of our graduating youth,” said Mr. Bertamini. Legg Mason and Brown Capital Management are additional financial companies that have joined the Hire One Youth initiative by hiring one and two young people, respectively. YouthWorks is Baltimore City’s summer jobs program, which places young people between the ages of 14 and 21 in six-week summer jobs with private sector, nonprofit, and city and state government employers throughout the city. To widen the positive impact of YouthWorks in 2012 by creating more summer job opportunities with local employers, Mayor Rawlings-Blake has created the Hire One Youth campaign and formed a leadership team comprised of members from the business community to champion the effort. Local employers who wish to join the Hire One Youth campaign by committing to hire at least one youth this summer can complete the online form at www.baltimorecity.gov/HireOneYouth or contact YouthWorks at 410-396-JOBS (5627) or HireOneYouth@oedworks.com. YouthWorks is operated by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development with the assistance of employers and workforce partners, and with financial support from a variety of contributors. ### In fiscal year 2011, the Mayor's Office of Employment Development hosted more than 139,000 visits from city residents at our one-stop career centers, facilitated nearly 19,000 computer literacy training sessions at our Digital Learning Labs, and placed close to 2,700 individuals in jobs. We connected more than 5,000 youth to summer employment and assisted more than 500 businesses through our Employ Baltimore strategy. This year we are continuing our commitment to match Baltimore citizens with good jobs and satisfying careers, and to link area businesses to qualified employees. www.oedworks.com.