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WorkSource Montgomery director Featherstone briefs Montgomery County delegation on placements, youth career coaching
Summary
WorkSource Montgomery told the delegation Jan. 31 that it expanded countywide operations and reported recent outputs — roughly 2,100 job placements (July–Dec.), 767 active SkillUP users and more than 1,600 credentials — while outlining a strategy to scale career coaching for all 6th–12th graders under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
On Jan. 31, 2025, the Montgomery County House Delegation received a briefing from WorkSource Montgomery director Featherstone on the agency’s programs, partnerships and measurable outcomes.
Featherstone said WorkSource Montgomery is the county’s lead workforce organization, operating nine local sites including a comprehensive job center and a reentry‑focused job center in Wheaton, and partnering with more than 140 community providers. "We have helped over 2,100 residents find employment from July through December," he said, noting the agency also supports sector training in hospitality, construction, life sciences, IT and transportation.
The presentation framed WorkSource’s work around six priorities: system building, community engagement, business engagement, talent pipelines, career education and data‑driven measurement of equity and impact. Featherstone tied parts of the briefing to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which requires career‑coaching services for students in grades 6–12; WorkSource partners with Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery College to scale that work.
Featherstone reported program activity and participation figures: 767 active users on the SkillUP Montgomery platform with more than 2,000 completed courses so far this year; network‑funded cohorts that have served roughly 6,000 residents; about 124 registered apprentices; and approximately 1,600 credentials earned through partner programs. He said the youth career‑coaching effort has reached about 25,000 students to date and that reaching the program’s ultimate goal (roughly 87,000 students in county schools) is largely a matter of timing and rolling the curriculum through schools' academic schedules.
Delegates asked how WorkSource serves residents far from central Wheaton facilities. In response, Featherstone described the agency’s mobile job center, an Up‑county regional service center and frequent partnerships with local providers to bring services into communities. He also described a close partnership with Sunflower Bakery, an employer‑partner that provides training and placements for residents with differing abilities, noting the bakery’s cohorts and referral arrangements with WorkSource.
On the Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) in Wheaton, Featherstone said partners including M&T Bank and the United Way National Capital Area funded the center, which is operated by the Latino Economic Development Corporation and focuses on financial‑literacy and homeownership supports that are available to WorkSource participants.
The delegation thanked the WorkSource team and moved on to committee business.
