Many workers in the U.S. are stuck in a cycle of low-wage jobs, never more than a paycheck away from disaster. As a result, they are often disengaged from their work—unable to see the connection between their current jobs and their economic future. Because they can’t see a clear path to long-term, sustainable employment to which they can give both their hearts and their minds, they lose hope, which fuels the cycle.

Engaged Employment™ Program. Springboard Forward’s Engaged Employment Program inspires workers to view their jobs in a whole new light—as springboards for upward mobility. Through workshops and consistent, one-on-one coaching, workers develop the capacity to tap into their individual potential for career mobility by maintaining three parallel tracks:

• Achieving excellence in their current job
• Designing a future based on their values, interests, and aspirations
• Taking concrete action and making changes now to achieve their goals

When workers treat their jobs as a stepping stone to their future, rather than a dead-end, a profound change in mindset occurs. They gain the skills, clarity, and confidence to succeed—and advance—in the workplace. More importantly, they are able to envision a future that includes self-sufficiency and financial stability. This change in their worldview can transform their lives through new hope and clear intent.

A job is just a beginning. By focusing their energy on their current performance—while keeping their plan for career mobility close at hand—workers experience on-the-job success as they methodically build a foundation for life-long self-sufficiency. This sense of empowerment naturally leads to longer-term employment and more rapid advancement. Stability at work translates into greater stability in the family and the community.