Giving Cleveland a Chance to Advance
What does Towards Employment do?
Towards Employment helps people overcome poverty, justice system involvement and other challenges in their lives to gain the skills and experience needed to connect to a family sustaining career. Our evidence based, employer-driven training and holistic support, coaching and mentorship combine to lift people out of poverty and towards self-sufficiency.
What are the challenges we address?
It’s 2021, and among many challenges, the minimum wage in the state of Ohio is still $8.80 per hour. Yet the MIT Living Wage Calculator figures a living wage for a household comprised of one adult and one child in Cuyahoga County is three times this amount — 237% higher than minimum wage.
What makes our solutions special?
Towards Employment not only focuses on placing and sustaining people in good-paying jobs, but provides holistic wrap-around services to help address the “social determinants of work” such as housing insecurity, transportation and legal issues, and to build life skills like financial management. Addressing these issues enhances prospects for job retention and advancement.
What are our future goals?
We are reaching out to people who have supported Towards Employment to share the success of the WorkAdvance model, which will help 3,500 low-income Clevelanders over the next three years.
With a goal of raising $3.7 million, we can extend WorkAdvance programming to every person who comes to Towards Employment.
In return, we project that graduates will earn more than $21 million in above-minimum average wages over the next 3 years.
Bottom line? Employers have better Million prepared workers. Workers have more economic mobility. End result, the whole community is stronger.
How would my support help?
Independence & Mobility
Goal:
$2.2 Million
To bolster training, certification, and coaching pathways.
The right training, certification and wrap-around services are urgently needed to overcome the opportunity gap and build self-sufficiency and independence.
Infrastructure & The Future of Work
Goal:
$500,000
To enhance our mobile and virtual infrastructure.
Our training facilities need to mirror the work world which means upgrading our technology and mobile infrastructure to meet increased digital requirements needed to best prepare our candidates for success, leveraging learnings from the pandemic.
Innovation & Capacity
Goal:
$1 Million
To allow us to invest in new approaches and build partnerships.
Towards Employment connects people to careers – helping them prepare, get, and keep a job; and then advance – in this way we change lives, advance business, and strengthen community.
Our Impact in 2020
* New employees within their first 90 days on the job are most susceptible to job loss