PBN Innovative Companies 2023
Nonprofit/Social Services: AccessPoint RI
For more than a half century AccessPoint RI has taken an innovative approach to helping individuals prepare for and find employment, as well as meet their career goals.
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Rory Carmody, the Cranston-based nonprofit’s workforce director, says the organization creates opportunities and partnerships for people with significant employment barriers. That relationship with clients continues so they can achieve career success, she says.
At the same time, employers through AccessPoint RI’s assistance add qualified team members to their workforce – a critical need to address employee shortages.
Carmody and her team work with recruiters from local companies such as CVS Health Corp., International Game Technology PLC and Bally’s Corp. to provide them with well-prepared candidates. CVS, for example, provided AccessPoint RI training materials for a program course, as well as in-store internship experiences and a commitment to hire participants graduating from AccessPoint RI’s programs.
One AccessPoint RI program participant recalled that college was not an option. AccessPoint RI connected the participant with CVS. That program participant is now working as a full-time pharmacy technician.
AccessPoint RI’s success rate is impressive. More than 90% of participants complete the program and 80% obtain employment when they’re finished. After graduation, students continue to receive support from the organization while advancing their career goals or facing obstacles along the way.
One of the organization’s innovative approaches is to provide financial assistance to participants who undergo challenges in their lives while they are completing the training required for job placement. Additionally, AccessPoint RI works closely with employers who have adopted a “second chance” approach to assist prospective employees who have complicated backgrounds, including criminal backgrounds.
“Through funding from the R.I. Department of Labor and Training,” Carmody said, “we can help people who experience disruptions in their lives while they’re in the program so that they don’t have to drop out of classes.”
