STRIVE (Support and Training Result in Valuable Employees) was created in East
Harlem in 1985 to help people who face significant barriers to employment
achieve economic independence through work. STRIVE's innovative model, which
ran counter to the conventional wisdom in employment training at that time,
combined a short, intense period of training in attitude - the "soft" skills
needed to survive and excel in any workplace - and job search techniques with
rapid placement and long term follow-up.
As the value of STRIVE's training model became more recognized by the
mainstream, and interest in workforce development and welfare grew in the
1990's, STRIVE responded to the demand for replication of its East Harlem
program. By embedding the program within independent, community-based
organizations, STRIVE expanded within New York, then replicated into a national
network across the continental United States and in London. Through this
dynamic network that now numbers nineteen Affiliates, STRIVE has refined and
enriched its programs to meet the evolving needs of its target populations.
The network is supported by STRIVE National, a unit of experienced staff that
provides support and direction for the affiliates. This central entity supports
quality control, innovation, and expansion among the network's affiliates.
Benefiting from having both locally-grounded affiliates and a national scope,
STRIVE has a history of continuous improvement, a clear focus on program
outcomes, and continuity of leadership. Perhaps most important, STRIVE's
services have been driven by the needs of its target population and the
realities of the employment market. The STRIVE network has had a demonstrable
impact, placing more than 25,000 hard-to-employ individuals in jobs. STRIVE
programs have consistently placed 75% of their graduates, with an average of
70% remaining employed after two years. In 2001, STRIVE graduated 4,000
individuals from it's job-readiness training program and placed 3,000
individuals in unsubsidized jobs throughout the National Network of Affiliates.
Future goals for growth include increasing national graduates to 6,000 and job
placements to 4,500 over the next five years.
Because of these results, STRIVE has become recognized as a pioneering and
effective program, influencing workforce development policy nationwide.
Learn more about STRIVE National by visiting its website
www.StriveNational.org
