Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) – Career Ladder Program: CRMSC’s Career Ladder is a longstanding community program that prepares at-risk urban students, primarily ages 16-21, for the workforce by giving them transferable skills to help them throughout their entire lives. The RMSC is expanding upon our long-successful Career Ladder program to create new opportunities for these students to be introduced to professional career opportunities in education, the STEM fields, the humanities, and the creative and business sides of running a non-profit. Through the RMSC’s Career Ladder Program, trainees will develop the foundational skills and experiences needed to be adequately qualified for and thriving in a position within the arts and cultural sectors and within specific disciplines. Students will be recruited from the City of Rochester through postings on the RMSC Website and the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection and will work at our main campus at 657 East Avenue in Rochester, New York. Students will be considered for entry-level jobs in the visitor experience, education, curatorial and/or creative exhibit design, library, member and visitor services, finance and accounting, and marketing. All students will work closely with and be supported by, coached, and supervised by RMSC staff within the department of interest to them and the placement coordinator at Hillside. Students will be evaluated at the end of the employment term, and the RMSC will write letters of recommendation when appropriate.

Junior Achievement of Central New York – Junior Achievement Discovery Center: Many students in the community will graduate from high school, never having been exposed to managing finances and without experiencing the in-demand jobs that exist today or the possibilities of the careers of the future. Many will graduate without the soft skills required for success in the workplace. Other students have an even more dire scenario: they won’t graduate from high school at all and will continue to reside in poverty. The “JA” Discovery Center (the “Center”) to be located in Kodak Center at Eastman Business Park (“EBP”) will be the center of collaboration around these vital student and community issues. It will provide both skills and inspiration, helping students take control of their financial futures, their careers, and achieve their dreams. It will connect “learning to earning” and create positive changes in attitudes and behaviors that will improve graduation rates, increase college and career readiness, and improve economic self-sufficiency and future poverty.

Foodlink – Community Kitchen/Career Fellowship: The Community Kitchen/Career Fellowship is a unique initiative designed to connect those with barriers to attaining gainful employment (criminal record, substance abuse, limited education) with the skills and experiences needed for middle-skills in the regional food industry. This year-long program will result in individuals’ training and placement in three-month internships at Wegmans Food Markets, providing a potential path out of poverty. Program graduates will have access to: a job board, mentoring, continuing education, and skill enhancement. The Community Kitchen is a state-of-the-art facility specifically designed for this program.

Hope Hall School – Scholarship/Career Development and Occupational Studies Program: Grant funds support Hope Hall’s High School Scholarships/ Career Development and Occupational Studies Program. 85% of Hope Hall students come from homes where students participate in the free and reduced lunch programs. With the infusion of additional scholarship funds, more students who learn “differently” are supported in their efforts to achieve a quality education that reflects the school’s mantra, “everyone has the right to learn.”  The Career Development and Occupational Studies program serve as a vital part of the academic program at Hope Hall. Student participants experience job shadowing, internships, workforce and computer training, financial management classes, and woodworking design/production. This initiative is designed to promote individual tenacity to remain in school, academic achievement, enhanced self-confidence/social skill development, and high school completion.