Hopeworks: A Community-based Roadmap to a Long-term Living Wage

Today, young adults and students – some as early as middle school – have the opportunity to enroll and participate in an array of coding programs designed to offer an accelerated pathway to a career in tech. Amid these myriad options, one standout organization based in Camden, New Jersey, is uniquely positioned to train and hire students where they are: in their own community.

Hopeworks is a blended nonprofit organization and tech business that specializes in digital mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and web development. The organization works with hundreds of high school students in both Camden and neighboring Philadelphia through their robust skills development program.

So what is Hopeworks’ secret? 

The program not only provides training resources for young adults, some of whom may not have completed high school, but also provides trauma-informed care and helps place them into high-quality, economically fulfilling employment opportunities in their communities.

At entry in Hopeworks’ programs, the average student salary is $382, and upon completion their average salary is $43,287 – a liveable wage that can unlock long-term economic and social mobility. But, they’re not just getting an entry point to a job, they’re building a career. Hopeworks fellows have an over 90% retention rate 12 months into their new places of employment.

Organizations like Hopeworks are determined to equip Black and brown students with tech training, networking support and connections to employment opportunities that will help them succeed in their careers. Efforts that will help close the Black tech talent gap.

“What local employers are beginning to realize is that these students are willing and eager and enormously capable of creating a monumental impact in their communities,” said Dan Rhoton, CEO of Hopeworks. “Young adults want to work, and employers want to hire them. Our work is about closing that gap and getting them into long-lasting jobs that will bring them economic prosperity.”

Moreno works from a computer while a Hopeworks student.

One student, Angel Moreno, a senior at Mastery Camden High School, recently spoke about his experience with Hopeworks and how the opportunity allowed him to hone his public speaking skills, propelling him to college, where he aims to obtain a digital marketing degree. 

“As a recent graduate, Hopeworks has changed my life by assisting me in adapting to the workforce straight from high school — I believe I have the technical and mechanical skills to achieve my goal of securing stable and enjoyable employment,” said Moreno. “Hopeworks has shaped my life through work and social means. Not only will I walk away with the coding I learned, but also the friends and connections I made along the way.”

A Catalyze grantee, last year Hopeworks helped place 125 students in jobs, which generated $5.5 million for the local economy. 

Next year, Hopeworks aims to place 200 young adults into jobs in Philadelphia – a goal in part driven by the rapidly growing interest in Hopeworks’ offerings. And they already have an additional six high schools on a waiting list to participate.

“We must continue to invest in the future of our economy by investing in the future of young adults in our communities,” said Rhoton.