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Urban League outlines workforce programs, reports high graduation and placement rates
Summary
The Urban League of Greater Southwest Ohio told the council committee it runs SOAR, Urban Tech Collective and Building Futures, emphasizes wraparound case management and stipends, and reported recent metrics including roughly 89 enrollments with 84 graduates and 57 placements into employment.
Ebony Young, senior vice president of Impact at the Urban League of Greater Southwest Ohio, described a suite of workforce programs aimed at addressing generational poverty through training, case management and employer connections.
Young said SOAR provides short, intensive training plus wraparound case management and stipends; Urban Tech Collective offers industry‑recognized IT and tech credentials and is moving to a rolling cohort model to increase access; Building Futures is a 12‑week pre‑apprenticeship for construction trades that has graduated multiple cohorts and places graduates into second‑year apprenticeships with local unions.
Program results presented to the committee included 89 participants enrolled in Building Futures with 84 graduates (about a 95% graduation rate reported), 57 placements into employment (68% placement rate), and a median wage cited at $37 per hour among placed graduates, with some reporting wages up to $50 per hour. Young said the Urban Tech Collective enrolled 188 women in an earlier Women in Tech program and graduated 167 (an 88 percent graduation rate) before expanding the program to include men and adopt a rolling model.
Council members asked about scaling: capacity per cohort was cited as 25 participants (limited by staffing), and the Urban League said it hopes to field four cohorts per year and is exploring options to expand with additional city funding or partner support. Eligibility for Urban Tech Collective includes a digital literacy assessment, a minimum age of 18 and a high school diploma or GED equivalent.
Why it matters: Committee members framed these programs as municipal priorities for economic mobility and equity. Chair Jan Michelle Kearney and Vice Chair Seth Walsh praised the Urban League’s holistic approach, and several council members encouraged more city partnership and funding to expand cohorts.
Next steps: The Urban League said it will continue outreach and weekly information sessions; council members signaled interest in exploring funding to expand cohort capacity.
Provenance: Topic introduced when Chair Kearney opened the workforce agenda item and primarily covered in Ebony Young’s presentation and the council Q&A.
