The Workforce Development Team Mission at St. Patrick Center in St. Louis, Missouri, focuses on reconnecting clients to their communities by providing opportunities for training, education and employment; establishing a foundation for human growth and dignity. St. Patrick Center is working to transform lives by working to end homelessness in St. Louis and surrounding communities since 1983. The Workforce Development Team’s vision is to lead outside of the lines by providing people with an opportunity to obtain meaningful and sustainable employment through training, education, a solid support network and basic needs of life: housing, employment, food, transportation and hope.
March 1, 2022 marked a new milestone for St. Patrick Center and their scholars! Fifteen scholars successfully graduated the program and celebrated with community partners, employers and case managers who provide the necessary support, training and coaching to allow scholars to achieve their goals. The first part of the day was dedicated to a Green Workforce Job Fair. Seven employers participated in the job fair and provided interviewing opportunities, best practices and networking to help St. Patrick Center clients prepare for the Green Workforce environment. Four scholars walked away not only with a certification of training, but with permanent employment focused on green workforce employment! Employers include World Wide Technology, Aerotek, The Community Action Agency of St. Louis County (CAASTLC), Closed Loop Recycling, Labor Finders, The Builders Training Union and the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Earthway Center.
Dr. Stanley Andrisse, Executive Director for P2P (Prison to Phd/Professional) gave the commencement speech and shared his journey of obtaining his goals. He shared that he did not achieve his success alone. His success was due to the support network and doors that were open due to the people who wanted see him succeed. He shared his story of perseverance and graciously donated a copy, “It’s Never Too Late to Do Good” to each of the graduating scholars today.
The Workforce Development Team is extremely grateful to Dr. Pinderhughes for developing such a great program that truly supports the vision of St. Patrick Center: Transforming Lives. St. Patrick Center and its partners look forward to continuing the program and providing opportunities to future scholars. The next Cohort is scheduled for March 21. More to come! To learn more about St. Patrick Center, please go to stpatrickcenter.org. A new podcast has just been launched to highlight that St. Patrick Center is #morethanjustasoupkitchen. We encourage you to follow this amazing podcast and client journeys here.
