Bring Change to Your City
Our mission began in Chicago, and has grown to locations in Rhode Island and Phoenix. We're continuing to expand to new locations, placing thousands of historically underserved individuals into meaningful employment, resulting in career growth and increased economic mobility.
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Chicago, IL
In 2012, Chicago began operations as the first iteration of the Skills Model in action with the goal of connecting more people in historically underserved neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West Sides to jobs. Since founding, the team in Chicago has shaped new programming and have expanded to offices in multiple neighborhoods to bring services closer to job seekers.
Providence, RI
Launched in 2016, Skills for Rhode Island’s Future (SkillsRI) is a full Skills Affiliate Site that works with unemployed and underemployed residents of Rhode Island by connecting them with employers throughout the state. SkillsRI has placed thousands of unemployed and underemployed job seekers into employment through strong partnerships with over 75 committed, local employers.
Phoenix, AZ
In partnership with the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation, Connect to Work AZ was developed in 2023. This location operates differently than previous sites using a model called powered by Skills for America’s Future and will be complementary to the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation's already established programming. By focusing on Arizona’s ready-to-work talent this program will connect the job seeker with local companies who are members of the Chamber that are eager to hire.
25 Sites. 10 Years.
We plan to expand our jobs-first workforce development model to 25 sites nationally over the next 10 years. Current Skills sites have generated a combined economic impact of $411.4M since 2012.
Our model provides significant staff resources for customized training and consulting, seed grants, and assistance in sourcing local sustainability funds. Explore the benefits of joining the Skills network!
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Increase the economic mobility of thousands of unemployed job seekers in historically underinvested neighborhoods
Align employers’ hiring needs with diverse, job-ready talent and collaborate with workforce organizations
Access data, expertise, shared learnings, and resources to implement a jobs-first approach
Connect with a deep network of national employers across varied industries
Bring a Site to Your City
Discover how you can transform lives and champion economic mobility in your city or region by joining the Skills network.
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