LYNN – Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Suzanne Bump announced Friday a $3.1 million increase in grant funding from Gov. Deval Patrick, earmarked for organizations working to help at-risk teenagers join the workforce.The grants will be made to dozens of organizations located in communities with high numbers of “at-risk” teenagers, including Lynn, Salem and Revere, through three separate grant programs offered by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s Commonwealth Corporation and the state’s Department of Youth Services.Locally, the North Shore Workforce Investment Board, located in Lynn and Salem, will receive $50,000 to fund job opportunities for 23 additional teenagers in its coverage area, while other organizations are encouraged to apply for funding through the Commonwealth Corporation.Bump announced funding increases to three existing grants offered to these organizations, including $1.1 million to the “Bridging the Opportunity Gap” grant, which provides funding for teenagers returning to their home communities after time spent in the custody of the Department of Youth Services.Additionally, $1.34 million has been added to the “Pathways to Success by 21” grant, which provides money to top coalitions of local youth-serving organizations and service dollars to reconnect older youth to education and career pathways. The programs focus on easing the transition into the workforce for at-risk teenagers, and educating those teens on the negative repercussions of dropping out of school.Finally, Patrick has set aside $689,000 to expand the “Youth Works” summer jobs program to include year-round employment opportunities. In all, the money will fund 12 pilot programs for 332 teenagers.”This funding represents Governor Patrick’s commitment to our youth and to raising the hops and skills of young people in the Commonwealth by giving them the opportunity to work and to earn,” said Bump. “We know that the single greatest predictor of holding a job as an adult is holding a job as a teenager, and that is why we must do everything possible now to put our youth on a path that will lead to academic success and greater lifetime earnings.”In addition to these grants, Patrick has also included a $2.5 million increase in youth jobs funding in his fiscal 2009 proposed budget, up from $6.7 million last year.Statewide, the percentage of teens in the labor force has declined dramatically from 57 percent in 1999 to only 48 percent in 2006, and the employment rate of teens declined from 53 percent in 1999 to 39 percent in 2006, according to the Governor’s office.Jobs are particularly important for teens, especially those in high-risk areas like Lynn where drugs and gangs could become a negative influence. State data shows that a lack of work experience as a teenager can result in fewer chances for employability and wage growth after high school, especially for those who do not attend college.”We are committed to helping ensure that youth have as many chances as they need to succeed in life,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Judy Ann Bigby. “These grants will provide at-risk youth with educational and employment opportunities that will serve them for years to come.”