Training Futures delivers a 25-week program that includes 17 weeks of curriculum in critical office skills and software, including Microsoft Office Suite software, keyboarding, business communication, customer service, business math, and filing. The Training Futures program is operated as a business site; trainees attend classes Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Trainees are expected to dress professionally – the program provides each student with three professional outfits – and students must be on time and attend classes regularly.

A key part of the Training Futures experience is the 3-week internship. Training Futures staff arranges internships with local employers by carefully matching trainees’ strengths to “job orders” placed by an employer. Trainees report to that employer during the same hours that they attend the training session. To support participants’ job search, Training Futures provides skills training in resume development and interviewing; hosts job fairs where employers interview participants on-site; provides office equipment for participants and graduates, such as computers, Internet access, fax, and telephones; facilitates job clubs where participants offer support to one another; and provides ongoing coaching from the trainers and volunteers during the job search process.

In 2008, the program was selected as one of six sites nationwide to be a participant with the Aspen Institute’s Courses to Employment three-year Demonstration Project. A study released by the Aspen Institute about Training Futures shows 94% of trainees complete the program. 84% of Training Futures graduates go on to find employment after program completion with an average of $6,000 annual wage gain. 84% of completers gain college credit for their work at TF.

The comprehensive CLIMB Wyoming Program Model includes the five phases that help move low-income single mothers out of poverty and into self-sufficient jobs: Phase 1 is dedicated to sector-based research to identify career opportunities in growing fields, and then to purposefully engage these businesses and industry groups within these growing fields. Following the businesses’ input, CLIMB works with a community college or private training entity to develop a curriculum that trains for the occupation’s required knowledge, skills and abilities. This research and planning phase ensure that staff will be able to place participants in long-term job opportunities. 

Phase 2 of the project is focused on participant recruitment.  Activities of this phase are also conducted year round but become more intense approximately two months prior to the comprehensive training start date, and after the requirements of the training and employment are known. CLIMB’s unique participant recruitment approach is vital to connecting well-matched, qualified and ready-to-work individuals to high-quality jobs. During this phase, program staff members assist and coach candidates to overcome obstacles such as low self-esteem, childcare, transportation and housing so that they can participate in the program.  

Phase 3 moves to the comprehensive training component of the model. This phase lasts approximately two to four months depending on the job training curriculum. The comprehensive training phase develops the participants’ strengths and builds upon them through extensive training in high-demand, high-growth occupations that lead to self-sufficient wages. During this phase, CLIMB participants are guided through job training and also receive services that allow them to begin to address personal barriers to success. The comprehensive training phase includes industry specific training, work readiness training, life skills training, parenting skills training, mental health services (including both group and individual counseling) and advocacy services. 

Phase 4: This phase includes two to three months of subsidized work experience followed by long-term placement. During this phase, staff members place participants into positions where they will be able to take what they learned during the comprehensive training phase and transition it to on-the-job training allowing them to build upon the skills they learned during training. Employers are reimbursed during the two to three month work experience, and staff members work closely with each employer to ensure that the participants are meeting appropriate expectations and to offer additional support or training as needed.

Phase 5: This phase is dedicated to providing ongoing support to the individual women and their families. Ongoing support has proven to be as important to the participants’ long-term success as the participant recruitment process. To continue to support the participants, CLIMB staff members meet with graduates after they finish the program to support success in the workplace and family stability. Staff members and graduates meet as a group to discuss life challenges and possible solutions as well as continually review community resources.

The Tiered Employment Program described above is a replication of a very successful program designed and implemented by EDSI in Philadelphia under a contract with the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation as part of the Greater Philadelphia Works Program. This program is now being implemented in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Delaware County, PA. EDSI implemented a Tiered Employment Program that included interested job seekers, employment development organizations and employers within the region. Employers’ opportunities were classified as Tier I, Tier II or Tier III based upon the position available, the wage, compensation, hours per week and benefits. Employment development organizations were trained in the processes of identifying, classifying and qualifying employers and job seekers for the program.