The Alliance welcomes three new practitioner members working to launch alternative staffing businesses!

Achieve Staffing at Towards Employment, Cleveland, Ohio
Towards Employment is launching Achieve Staffing in January to employ job seekers enrolled in its workforce services, about 70% of whom have criminal records. The new enterprise will target job placements in manufacturing, hospitality and customer service, and will leverage the organization’s participation in a local Manufacturing Sector Partnership and existing services that include job readiness training, work experience and transitional employment, and health care and culinary skills training. Jill Rizika, Executive Director of Towards Employment is overseeing is Achieve Staffing’s startup. Towards Employment currently operates another employment social enterprise Bloom Bakery.

Goodwill of Southern California, Los Angeles
Earlier this year, Los Angeles County awarded Goodwill of Southern California a grant to employ 750 job seekers experiencing homelessness and provide supports to address barriers to stable employment. The grant sets minimum requirements for participants’ hours worked, length of employment, hourly wage rate, and conversion to hire. Goodwill is using this experience to learn about staffing as a business service and build the infrastructure needed to rapidly fulfill job orders. Joseph Taylor, Regional Director, Workforce Career & Development, is managing the development of this new venture.

STEP UP at Coalition for a Better Acre, Lowell, Massachusetts
Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA) works to revitalize the historic manufacturing region of Lowell and Merrimack Valley, and to empower area residents, many of whom are recent immigrants. CBA has formerly referred graduates of its 5-week job readiness training to a staffing business partner for job placement, while providing transportation and case management supports. Now CBA is developing an in-house staffing company to directly place candidates with local employers. STEP UP Program Manager Kevin Tan is developing the new enterprise.

We extend a warm welcome to each of these organizations and wish them well as they advance toward launching their new staffing businesses.

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