We help individuals rise from poverty through gaining skills that help them qualify for skilled employment. RISE, Readiness In Skilled Employment, is a program like no other for individuals seeking a life-changing job opportunity. This workforce development program is available to Pennsylvania’s Lackawanna and Luzerne County residents, and we offer much more than technical training. RISE participants will receive career coaching, assistance with gaining soft-skills, and a range of support along the way to ensure academic success and job placement.

We understand that stress, health, and money are just some of the barriers that can impact participation and commitment to earning an education. RISE is here to help to remove those barriers. We assist our participants with transportation, childcare, housing, technology and language, to name a few. By providing pathways to earning a family-sustaining wage, RISE helps to break the cycle of poverty and paves the way for future generations to succeed!

A small group of participants will move through the program together, celebrating milestones along the way; from admission through graduation, from struggling to thriving. We want you to succeed! We are here to help you along the way as you pave the course for your future. Graduates of the RISE program will then be invited back as mentors for future cohorts. Our goal is to see our classes, graduate, find employment, and believe in the successful future they have created for themselves!

Johnson College provides real-world, hands-on learning in a caring environment and prepares graduates to enter into or advance in their careers. Johnson College degrees become essential careers. Johnson College was founded in 1912, and is the region’s premier technical college, offering associate degrees in 17 programs and 4 academic certificates. An emphasis on hands-on instruction is supported by a low student-to-teacher ratio. Located in Scranton on a 44-acre campus, the College is an accredited, private, non-profit, co-educational institution with a strong tradition of working with regional business and industry to ensure a skilled and qualified workforce. Together, We Work! To learn more about Johnson College, click here

Thousands of individuals are impacted by UNC programming each year. Individuals and families seek help for basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter, as well as other life-stabilizing supports, such as adult literacy, English language education, budgeting, leadership development, health counseling, and child care. The agency accomplishes this work through five programmatic departments: Community Services, Community Health and Again, Children and Teens, Community Education, Community Revitalization and a Housing/Community Development Corporation, which oversees the operation of several housing apartments for persons of low-income and/or with a disabling condition, as well as provides revitalization and housing opportunities within the community. To learn more about UNC, click here

Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) is an accredited public college offering 2-year associate of arts, associate of science, and associate of applied science degrees as well as certificates of specialization and diplomas in more than 100 academic major programs. The largest college in northeastern Pennsylvania, LCCC continues to expand and adapt to the educational needs of the residents and business and industry in the Wyoming Valley. The staff and faculty of LCCC will always continue their dedication to the students and alumni of northeastern Pennsylvania as we have over the past 50 years.