"Maryland Governor Wes Moore Launches Nation's First State-Backed Service Year Program with Inaugural Class of 280 Participants"

Maryland has launched the nation's first state-backed service year program, sending 280 participants into community-centered jobs across the state. The program aims to provide recent high school graduates with a pathway to spend a year in the workforce in jobs that serve the greater good. Participants will earn at least $15 an hour, receive a $6,000 stipend, and benefit from job and financial literacy training, mentorship, and career counseling. The state hopes to expand the program to 2,000 people per year within four years.