East Harlem Employment Service, Inc. is a non-profit employment training and job placement organization, renowned since its incorporation in 1984. Our mission is to help men and women find jobs and achieve financial independence, to assist others in adopting the STRIVE model, and to encourage effective employment policies and practices nationwide. STRIVE has consistently met our three main operating goals since we began: to train clients within four weeks; to achieve a job retention rate of 80% or better; and to do this at no cost to our participants.
The STRIVE training program is an intensive 4-week course emphasizing job application and readiness skills. Role-playing and the performance of tasks in a simulated work environment are fundamentals of the program, where participants learn how to follow instructions, accept criticism and function as team members. They receive training in dressing and speaking appropriately, and as they prepare to enter the job market, emphasis is placed on writing resumes, filling out job applications, and, through many rounds of simulation, learning how to interview. Job openings are developed through contacts with STRIVE employers throughout the tri-state area. Key to our program's resounding success is the matching of candidates to appropriate job opportunities. STRIVE has an 80% graduate job retention rate. The STRIVE program has been successfully replicated in 24 locations in 18 cities across the U.S., as well as in the United Kingdom and Israel, and now, in Camden, New Jersey.
STRIVE is Widely Recognized in the Field of Workforce Development
As we continue to expand along with our network of affiliates, we are better positioned to affect policy changes across the country, with an unrelenting focus on training and finding jobs for people. Within the communities that STRIVE serves, the family unit is collectively burdened by a steadily declining economic climate. To counter this trend, several years ago STRIVE began to offer broadened programming geared to each population-specific group — youth, men and women — created to support them in achieving both individual and collective goals. STRIVE has always stressed the importance of stability to the family structure. We believe a heightened emphasis on family issues can only add greater value and substance to our community revitalization efforts.
The Job Development Department works with STRIVE graduates to find employment opportunities that offer benefits, skills development, and room for advancement. With an active database, the department nurtures relationships with employers who have successfully hired STRIVE graduates and who appreciate the value of a STRIVE employee. Department managers are available to both the employer and the graduate in helping to mediate any issues that may arise during the first two years of a graduate’s employment.
