How many people have participated in Hartford Public Library's Career Pathways program?

Since the inception of the program, from September 2016 through December 2018, we completed 17 cohorts with a total of 220 enrollees. We are averaging a 67 percent completion rate. As of 2019, there are an additional three cohorts with 43 students enrolled who are currently in the process of completing the program.

How has this program contributed to economic development in Hartford?

This program contributes to Hartford’s economic development in two significant ways. Students often enter the program un- or under-employed and exit with part- or full-time employment. ALL participants receive hands-on training in the high-demand food and hospitality industry and, upon successful completion, obtain a ServSafe Food Handler or Manager certificate. In collaboration with Hartford Public Schools Food and Child Nutritional Services, participants receive on-the-job training (OJT) at one of 51 school cafeterias in the system. Additional OJT sites include IHOP and Hands on Hartford and several local restaurants. The OJT sites often recruit new employees from the pool of CPI trainees, saving themselves both recruitment and training expenses.

What partnerships have you forged as a result of this work?

We continue building community partnerships to meet the needs of students in the areas of:

Job Placement
We have strengthened our collaboration with the satellite American Job Center (AJC) at the library. The referral process has been refined by registering all students for CTHires at the point of CPI program enrollment, after which students are required to attend one of their Career Services Information sessions also offered on-site. By doing so, they become eligible for a fuller range of WIOA services. Students with a prior criminal record are able to participate in the “Free to Succeed” program for the CT Certificate of Employability and CT Pardon Team.

On-the-Job Training (OJT)
Finding alternative internship sites for individuals who are unable to meet the internship timeframe and/or requirements of our primary partnerships has been an ongoing challenge for the program. However, we have been able to turn this challenge into a success by building partnerships with IHOP and Hands on Hartford, two local employers. Hands on Hartford provides flexibility for students to complete their internships during evening hours as well as on weekends. All students enrolled in the Fall 2018 classes were able to obtain internship assignments in a timely manner, including any students from previous classes who had not completed internships.

Wraparound Services
Catholic Charities’ Asylum Hill Family Center offers a range of wraparound services that students are able to benefit from as needed. Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center’s WISEWOMAN Program serves uninsured individuals and those with catastrophic medical bills. HPL conducts warm referrals to these organizations and, in turn, we receive referrals from them.