Workforce Development
A trained and skilled workforce is essential to Baltimore’s health and economic growth. We support programs that train low-income, unemployed, and underemployed job seekers and help them find and keep jobs that pay family-sustaining wages.
We prioritize programs that:
Without regular access to reliable transportation, it’s almost impossible to get and maintain employment. Since 1999, the Abell Foundation has supported Vehicles for Change (VFC) in making low-cost cars available to low-income job seekers in Baltimore City, fueling economic opportunity.
To date, VFC has trained over 175 individuals, boasting a 90% completion rate, a 98% job placement rate of program graduates, an average starting wage of $17.50 per hour, and a 95% one-year employment retention rate, although not all graduates are employed at their original job placement.
Civic Works’ Baltimore Center for Sustainable Careers (CSC) was founded on the belief that the growing green economy has the potential to address two of Baltimore’s challenges: high levels of unemployment, particularly among returning citizens and aging housing stock that is energy inefficient, fossil fuel reliant, and contains environmental contaminants.
Child support enforcement practices fuel a cycle of poverty and instability for low-income parents and families. This Abell Report examines the data and recommends strategies Maryland can adopt to reform its child support system.
Have questions or want to discuss your idea for workforce development in Baltimore? Get in touch using the form below.
Header photo courtesy of BioTechnical Institute of Maryland.