Towards Employment

Our mission is to empower individuals to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency through employment.

Towards Employment provides economic opportunity for people with barriers to employment, including formerly incarcerated individuals, young adults aging out of foster care, and residents of economically distressed Cleveland neighborhoods. We provide an opportunity to connect to jobs and careers by building bridges between job seeker and employer need – helping people gain skills and experience to gain employment and advance on a career pathway. We serve 2,000+ people a year with supportive and legal service; employment and career building activities; and ongoing career coaching. 600 people a year start jobs for the first time, while others prepare for jobs or get coaching and support while working entry level jobs and seeking to advance in their career. We partner with 300+ businesses—from University Hospitals, Downtown Cleveland Hilton and many local manufacturers—who have confidence in our training programs and personal coaching to prepare new and current employees for career success. We use learnings from rigorously evaluated program operations to influence the wider system and promote greater economic mobility and equitable access to all NEO residents.