Towards Employment brings National Attention and over $4M to CLE and NEO
Media Contact:
Adaora Schmiedl
216-401-6883
aschmiedl@towardsemployment.org
For Immediate Release
Towards Employment brings National Attention and over $4M to CLE and NEO
July 12, 2024 - CLEVELAND – Summer is starting with a bang for Cleveland workforce organization Towards Employment, with recent national awards that are bringing over $4 million in national funding to northeast Ohio.
On June 25th, national economic mobility nonprofit Opportunity@Work awarded $2 million to eight organizations identified as boosting economic mobility and combatting occupational segregation for workers historically excluded from high-wage roles. Towards Employment is one of these eight nationally recognized organizations.
Opportunity@Work’s Powering STAR Breakthroughs grant program selected organizations throughout the United States committed to connecting workers who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) – such as community college, military service, or on the job experience, rather than a bachelor’s degree – to family-sustaining jobs and careers. Byron Auguste, CEO & co-founder of Opportunity@Work says, “This is a vital step in an ongoing nationwide effort to build a labor market that works for STARs, and for all American workers who face unnecessary barriers to economic mobility.” Read more about STARS, Opportunity@Work, and Towards Employment’s selection as a grant recipient at https://opportunityatwork.org/press-release/opportunitywork-awards-2-million-to-organizations-accelerating-economic-mobility-for-workers-skilled-through-alternative-routes-stars/
Then, on July 2, the fireworks continued. The U.S. Department of Labor awarded over $56 million to 16 recipients across the nation to help justice-involved citizens get job training and connections to community resources. Towards Employment leads a dual-county partnership that was awarded a $4 million grant. Collaborators include Lorain Community College, two correctional facilities (in Cuyahoga County and Lorain County), the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction, and the OhioMeansJobs centers in both counties. This collaboration, the Cuyahoga-Lorain Early Advancement to Reentry (CLEAR) is the only grantee in the Midwest.
DOL Pathway Home grants are designed to help justice-involved people get needed training to secure good jobs as they reenter their communities after a term of incarceration; and eliminate gaps between release from prison and enrollment in a workforce development program.
Through this grant, over 25 community employers, nonprofits and government entities have committed to collaboratively supporting returning citizens to build skills while in prison and connect to employment upon release. They include Towards Employment, Lorain Community College, Oriana House (operator of the McDonnell Center Community Based Correctional Facility in Cleveland), the Lorain Medina Community Based Correctional Facility, the Northeast Reintegration Center, Lorain Correctional Institution, OhioMeansJobs – Cuyahoga County, OhioMeansJobs – Lorain County, Achieve Staffing, Cleveland Builds, Cuyahoga Community College, Cuyahoga County Office of Reentry, Diamond Metals, Elyria Foundry, Evergreen Cooperative, Fastener Industries, FrontLine Services, Goodwill Industries of Lorain County, Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Greater Cleveland Partnership, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, MAGNET, Manufacturing Works, Marble Room, Murtis Taylor Human Services System, Nesco Resource, Northeast Ohio Recovery Association, Place to Recover Training and Resource Center, Passages, Reach Success, Starting Point, Talan, West Wing Recovery Group, and West Side Catholic Center.
“The Pathway Home grants we announced will allow justice-involved individuals to get the training they need to secure good jobs as they re-enter their communities following a term of incarceration,” said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training José Javier Rodríguez. “The Biden-Harris administration recognizes that our communities are safer when formerly incarcerated Americans have access to good jobs. These grants enable participants to begin skills training before their release, better preparing them to start their new lives.” More on this in the DOL press release at https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20240702
Towards Employment Board Chair John Allerding is thrilled, “I am so excited for the future - with the help of local philanthropy, and the generous gift from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving, we have now entered the public phase of our $5.2 million capacity building campaign. When we announced that we only had 10% left to raise at our Chance to Advance event in June, I could not imagine our capacity building work would see such amazing results this same summer! On behalf of the entire board, I extend my sincerest appreciation to the entire Towards Employment staff and our strategic partners for all the wonderful work that they do to improve our Northeast Ohio community.”
Jill Rizika, TE president and CEO, agrees: “This national funding is truly in line with our strategic plan that pushes us to use the capacity we are building to bring home new approaches and funding that help improve and/or build local workforce efforts. From providing support and connection to careers for STARS to building strong collaborations and partnership that connect justice impacted people to careers and better lives – these add depth to our services and make access to family sustaining wages and quality jobs a reality for more people in our region.”
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About Towards Employment: Our mission is to empower individuals to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency through employment. Towards Employment is a proven leader in workforce development that connects people to careers, which changes people’s lives, advances businesses, and strengthens community in Northeast Ohio. Learn more about our work at www.towardsemployment.org. Lear more about TE’s capacity building campaign – A Chance to Advance at https://www.towardsemployment.org/chancetoadvance/