At RISE (Readiness In Skilled Employment), we believe in your potential, and we’re here to help you unlock it. Our mission is to support individuals looking for economic growth by gaining the skills needed for meaningful, skilled employment. If you’re ready to take a step toward a brighter future, RISE is here to walk alongside you.

At RISE (Readiness In Skilled Employment), we believe in your potential, and we’re here to help you unlock it. Our mission is to support individuals in Northeastern Pennsylvania who are ready to take the next step toward a brighter future through meaningful, skilled employment.

RISE is more than just job training. We combine hands-on, career-focused education with personal support to help you overcome the challenges that can make it hard to succeed. Our program includes career coaching, soft-skills development, and case management to guide you throughout your journey.

We understand that life can present real barriers, like transportation, childcare, housing, health issues, or language needs. That’s why we provide support in these areas, so you can focus on learning and building your future without being held back.

When you join RISE, you become part of a small, supportive group that grows and learns together. You’ll move through the program with others who are on the same path, sharing successes and encouraging each other along the way. After graduation, many participants choose to return as mentors, helping the next group move forward.

RISE is a partnership between Johnson College and United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania (UNC), supported by the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund. Together, we are addressing the region’s critical skills gap and opening the door to long-term employment and financial stability for those ready to take the first step.

You don’t have to do this alone. RISE is here to help you move from surviving to thriving, one step at a time.

Johnson College provides real-world, hands-on learning in a supportive environment and prepares graduates to enter into or advance in their in-demand careers. Johnson College was founded in 1912 and is the region’s only technical college, offering 15 associate degrees, five academic certificates, and over 30 continuing education programs. A low student-to-instructor ratio supports an emphasis on hands-on learning. Located in Scranton on a 44-acre campus with a satellite campus serving the greater Hazleton area, the College is an accredited, private, non-profit, co-educational institution with a strong tradition of working with regional businesses and industries to ensure a skilled and qualified workforce. 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