STRIVE ‘15 graduate of New Orleans partner programs
We are excited to announce the 2024 launch of STRIVE New Orleans! Our fourth operated site, STRIVE New Orleans will build upon the strong and longstanding local partnerships STRIVE has cultivated over time with city officials, community organizations, philanthropic leaders and employer partners dating back to 2015. We thank our early funders who committed to backing this latest STRIVE venture, including local investors Greater New Orleans Foundation; NOW Collaborative; W.K. Kellogg Foundation; and United Way of Southeast Louisiana.
“The Greater New Orleans Foundation is proud to serve as the convener of the NOW Funders Collaborative and grateful for the opportunity to support STRIVE in building a permanent home in our great city of New Orleans. We have witnessed the phenomenal impact STRIVE’s proven career-readiness training model has on the economic mobility of individuals and their communities, and we look forward to working with STRIVE New Orleans for years to come,” says Kristina Kent, Director of Workforce Programs at Greater New Orleans Foundation.
“United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA) is proud to be an inaugural funder of STRIVE New Orleans, which shares our vision of equitable communities. We believe that every person deserves the opportunity to reimagine a brighter future for themselves, especially those most often overlooked, and STRIVE’s proven success in empowering those facing the toughest barriers to mobility will do just that – strengthening our families, our economy and our communities,” says Michael Williamson, UWSELA President and CEO.
After careful consideration and market analysis, together with our network we have determined to build a permanent local residency with STRIVE New Orleans that will provide full-service pathways to in-demand careers in Non-Clinical Healthcare to the residents of Crescent City. Our signature Career Path program in New Orleans will offer no-cost training, certification, and job placement assistance services for individuals seeking careers that offer access to living wages, full benefitsand pathways to career advancement and mobility. At capacity, STRIVE New Orleans will serve over 200 individuals annually.
“New Orleans is an incredible city, bursting with talent and determination. After many years of successful local partnerships to advance economic mobility for communities most systemically vulnerable, we are excited to open a permanent home in STRIVE New Orleans as part of our new growth plan,” says Phil Weinberg, President & CEO of STRIVE.
STRIVE New Orleans increases our national presence to 14 locations in New York, Atlanta, Birmingham, and now New Orleans, as well as our signature STRIVE career-readiness training programs through 10 affiliates across the country. After the successful launch of STRIVE Atlanta in 2020, STRIVE Birmingham in 2023 and now STRIVE New Orleans in 2024, STRIVE is on track to ultimately serving 10,000 individuals per year by 2033.
“We deeply value our longstanding and impactful partnership with STRIVE in serving young people from New Orleans with their winning job readiness training and services. STRIVE programming is accessible for our Interns and provides the tools and supports to connect them to their professional and personal ambitions. STRIVE really works, and we welcome their permanent presence in our community with the official opening of STRIVE New Orleans,” says Kheri Billy, CEO at Reconcile New Orleans dba Café Reconcile.
As a national leader in workforce development, STRIVE is committed to helping those facing the biggest societal barriers to employment access the training and support they need to build a family-sustaining career. We aim to replicate and expand our nationally recognized, 5-pillar model of job training and wraparound support services to where our specialized programming--designed to serve the whole student--is needed most. We work to support the regions and communities of our nation that continue to be systemically disconnected from economic mobility and opportunity, providing a bridge to the gap and a pathway to empowerment. The parishes STRIVE New Orleans will design to serve hold a high 55% percent poverty rate—with the majority of households identifying as BIPOC and headed by single women—two demographics which STRIVE has long specialized in serving and supporting.
“Building a confident and ready workforce while expanding and diversifying our local economy is a top priority for New Orleans. To do that, we must ensure that our most marginalized, underserved residents have equal access to quality programs and opportunities to minimize the racial wealth gap, build generational wealth and help lean them forward into an empowered future. Mayor Cantrell and the Office of Workforce Development remain committed to connecting students and jobseekers to high wages, high demand industries, while cultivating and strengthening our partnerships. We are thrilled to welcome STRIVE New Orleans into the fabric of local organizations committed to serving and uplifting our communities,” says Sunae S. Villavaso, Director of the Office of Workforce Development.
In 2024 STRIVE New Orleans is planned to serve 75 individuals and will grow to reach 200 or more individuals served annually over time. We will kick off in early 2024 as a pilot class of our signature Career Path program. Grounded in evidence and proven practice, Career Path includes a robust curricula of job readiness training and occupational skills training for students to gain the confidence, skills and experience that employers demand. Strong employer partnerships will inform the program to ensure long-term success.
“Ochsner is pleased to partner with STRIVE New Orleans in creating accessible entry points to healthcare careers. Our industry has an ongoing need for fully trained and credentialed candidates to fill key roles that offer great benefits and opportunity for growth, and we can trust STRIVE to connect us with the quality talent we seek,” says Missy Sparks, Vice President of Talent Management at Ochsner Health.
As STRIVE New Orleans grows, additional career pathway programming with proven success for STRIVE students--construction, maintenance, logistics among others--will be offered to provide greater choice in career opportunity for those facing multiple societal barriers to quality employment including the justice impacted and returning citizens.
92% of STRIVE students are BIPOC, 78% receive public services. 44% are justice-impacted and 41% are parents of minors. Anticipated outcomes for STRIVE New Orleans include an 80% program graduation rate, an 80% certifications rate, and a 70% job placement rate. Long-term support and wrap-around services ensure conditions for success in the classroom and beyond.
“STRIVE New Orleans will be a major driver of economic growth across the region, particularly for our communities that have long endured historic disinvestment. We could not be more pleased that STRIVE is here to stay and look forward to partnering in our shared mission bringing holistic and inclusive approaches to economic mobility and development for all citizens,” says Angela Shiloh-Cryer, Senior Director of Advancing Cities and Talent Solutions at NOLABA
“STRIVE programming has stood the test of time in New Orleans for many years, and I continue to be inspired by their growth, innovation and impact. As a collaborator in helping individuals and communities rise from the struggles of generational poverty, there is simply no better partner,” says Thelma Harris French, President & CEO at Total Community Action, Inc.
We are grateful to the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Business Alliance for their belief in the power of STRIVE, and to local employers Oschner Health System and LCMC Health for helping us build the vision of creating a pipeline of talent and opportunity across the Crescent City that will generate unprecedented access to mobility and empowerment for the most economically vulnerable citizens and communities of New Orleans.
The search for a founding Executive Director of STRIVE New Orleans has begun. We are scouting the local region for talented and experienced candidates with deep community ties who are ready to bring STRIVE New Orleans to life. Click here to view the job description. Click here to learn more about STRIVE New Orleans.