Open Meadow was selected as one of 14 programs from across the country featured in “Employers, Low-Income Adults and Postsecondary Credentials” — a new national report funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The report, released by the Workforce Strategy Center in New York City, highlights Open Meadow as among the best in the nation at providing younger, disadvantaged workers with the technical and postsecondary education demanded by the 21st Century workforce.

The 14 sites highlighted in the report were selected from more than 100 candidate sites nationwide reviewed against a rigorous set of best-practice criteria established by the Workforce Strategy Center.

Open Meadow was highlighted, in part, for its success in building strong partnerships with Portland businesses.  Among the statistics highlighted was Career Connections’ 92% placement rate with income gains of 122% over two years.  Among the quotations: “Open Meadow offers as comprehensive a list of [support] services as any community-based organization in the country.”  To learn more about the report and the work Career Connections is doing in the community, read Betsy Hammond’s article in The Oregonian.

We are thrilled that our Career Services program has earned Open Meadow this selection and believe this recognition is to be shared with all of our staff and program partners, without whom this work would not be possible.