Job Readiness Collaborative
A Workforce Program Rooted In Relationships
A strengths-based initiative that equips young people with the character, confidence, and leadership skills they need to thrive in school, relationships, and community.
We Meet People Where They Are,
And We Stay.
Located in Franklin Park, we prepare Allentown residents to enter or return to work, then walk with them for a full year as they build stability.
Many people who want to work run into barriers that have nothing to do with ability. A history of homelessness, incarceration, or trauma. No reliable childcare or transportation. No bank account or vital records. These barriers stack up, and traditional programs rarely address them.
How It Works
The program moves through phases, not a single class.
Instruction Phase
Eight weeks of instruction, 7.5 hours a week, covering job readiness, character, and financial confidence
Coaching Phase
One-on-one coaching to address the real barriers to employment, from housing to banking to transportation
Mentorship Phase
Twelve months of mentorship supporting participants through the challenges of starting and keeping a job
The curriculum brings three proven approaches together:
Job readiness grounded in the NCTI JOBTEC framework
Character
development
Financial literacy from Valley Wealth Alliance
We Walk With People For A Year… And Beyond
Every participant is paired with a mentor who is in their corner long after the final session. We meet face-to-face each month, check in by text between visits, and connect people to housing, services, and employers across our network.
This is high-touch work, done with people, not for them.
A Foundation That Works
The model grew out of a program Cohesion co-founder Darian Colbert helped launch at Northampton County Jail. Among participants there, recidivism fell from 46.7% to 5% over eighteen months. When you support the whole person, stability follows.
Early Results
Our pilot served the first cohort of Franklin Park residents.
- Seven participants completed the full program
- Several left early because they secured full-time work
- One graduate accepted a position at the PPL Center
- Others are moving toward housing, training, and skilled trades
"I think from where we started to where we are now, we're all looking at things a little differently. We have a better outlook."
— J.L.
Before, no one ever asked me how I was doing. There were times when I really needed that. That's a question that can change someone's life."
— M.D
Made Possible By Our Partners
This work is funded by the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation Trusted Response Fund, First Northern Bank & Trust, and the Neighborhood Partnership Program.
WE is greater than ME. This program is proof.
Stand With Our Neighbors
Change happens when someone stays. Your gift lets us walk with each participant for a full year..