Earlier this month, we had a pop-up visit at our Camden headquarters from a very special guest! Desmond Riley is a Hopeworks alumni from the early 2000’s where we started in a small row home in North Camden.
Desmond just happened to be walking down Market Street when he saw our sign on the window of our new location and decided to walk in. He was greeted by our staff and given a tour where he was blown away by the growth of the program since he was last involved.
”I can’t believe this program is still around! I was just walking by and saw the sign on the window, so I decided to check it out.”
During the tour, he was further surprised to see his picture hanging on the wall along with hundreds of others that have been collected over the years. We were ecstatic to learn that Desmond currently has a successful career in the healthcare field, has recently started a family, and is living life to the fullest.
Moments like these speak for themselves. Being able to see the visual transformation from a trainee over 10 years ago to a Hopeworks alumni and family man with a very successful career.
This is why we do what we do.
In this series, Michelle Cheang, director of Catalyze, sat down with alumni and current participants of Catalyze-supported career-connected learning programs. Through in-depth conversations, Michelle and the learners discuss their experiences, growth and career goals. In the following videos, we'll hear directly from EJ Garcia, a learner at Hopeworks, about how he has developed his career […]
This episode of The Water Online Show focuses on the water industry's workforce shortage. Hopeworks, a training organization, is addressing this challenge by partnering with utilities like American Water. Hopeworks identifies employer needs, trains young professionals, and places them in well-suited roles. This innovative approach is helping to bridge the skills gap and ensure a […]
Grace Manning leads a program helping land young professionals work at companies like Subaru. Grace Manning is director of employer and alumni relations at Hopeworks, a nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia and South New Jersey, offering workforce development programs to young adults. Through training programs, paid internships, and placement services with local employers, Hopeworks helps young, diverse […]
