CWF’s Moving to Work Pathway meets the needs of residents in Neighborhood Planning Unit V’s (NPU-V) Pittsburgh and Mechanicsville neighborhoods who are seeking a job or a better job. It also serves the needs of area employers who seek motivated and prepared employees.

To prepare participants for the workforce, CWF exposes them to a variety of training opportunities that build their job skills and their understanding of the workplace. Its job readiness class prepares residents to succeed in the workplace with topics such as professional attire, drafting an effective resume, and securing employment. Its 21st Century class is an orientation-to-work course which teaches participants how to deal with the world of work, what an employer expects, and more. The curricula for these classes are informed by both the needs and interests of the participants and by the demands of potential employers, ensuring that graduates are ready for the workplace.

Through a partnership with Atlanta Technical College, CWF also connects participants to hard-skill classes about construction, warehousing, and forklift driving.

Pathway coaches work closely with participants while they are enrolled in these classes and trainings to identify and address any barriers to work and to discover employment opportunities that fit their interests and needs. CWF works with the participants while they secure transitional or permanent employment. Participants work in fields such as data entry, security, construction, retail, food services and health care. Criminal backgrounds automatically exclude some participants from many employers’ hiring pools. It is difficult, therefore, to find permanent positions immediately for these participants. In these circumstances, transitional employment opportunities help the participant demonstrate her/his commitment to becoming a successful employee, moving toward eventual permanent employment. CWF continues to provide supports, services and coaching after the participants become employed, boosting job retention and enabling them to chart out successful career growth.

With CWF’s significant investment in job readiness, skill building, and intensive, ongoing coaching, employers can be confident in hiring CWF participants – as the growing list of employer partners demonstrates. The Center for Working Families is succeeding in meeting the needs of employers as well as residents who are ready to go to work in NPU-V.