Wildcat Service Corporation pioneered the first supported work program in the United States in the 1970s and has since helped tens of thousands of unemployed and underemployed New Yorkers find jobs and receive the training and guidance they need to be successfully employed.

As the economic and social landscape has changed, Wildcat has anticipated the needs of its clients as well as the demands of New York businesses for trained, effective workers. This has led to the creation of new, innovative initiatives. Wildcat’s unique partnership with private industry brought Wall Street firms such as Salomon Smith Barney into the workforce development mix for the first time. Meanwhile, our IBM-sponsored computer lab prepared hundreds of welfare recipients for technological jobs in a ground breaking program.

Having the capacity to serve thousands each year distinguishes Wildcat from most other nonprofit organizations. In 2007, over 16,000 unemployed and underemployed New Yorkers were served by Wildcat---3,600 of them were placed in jobs paying on average 25% above minimum wage. With scale, Wildcat achieves efficiencies and increased capacity.

Eliminating Barriers and Gaining Self-Sufficiency
Much of our work centers on populations that need help to overcome personal and career barriers before they can become self-sufficient.

Wildcat currently serves over 4,000 public assistance applicants and recipients a year from the Hamilton Heights area of Manhattan. Through a combination of job preparedness training and career advisement, we assist customers in finding jobs and, once they have been placed, in developing the life skills and habits necessary to maintain employment and stay off of welfare.

Each year Wildcat serves 1,200 customers with an ex-offender background. We serve the participants through training, advisement and skills building, and we place job ready participants in employment.

Wildcat has long been an innovator with transitional work programming, and we continue to use it as a very effective development tool. Our current initiative takes 300 referrals from various programs and trains them as maintenance workers. Participants learn skills and work habits while on the job as support staff in the City’s shelter system, while clearing city property and while maintaining eight business districts.

Our work with program participants does not stop at placement. Wildcat makes a long-term commitment to our customers by providing ongoing advancement and retention services. We were recently selected by New York City as one of three organizations to develop and run a career advancement and retention program with funding from the Center for Economic Opportunity. This exciting new program launches in July 2008 and will serve 400 customers from across the City. Its goals are to help participants increase their weekly wages, to provide participants with life skills and financial literacy training, and to facilitate access to financial work supports.

Working Across the City
As an organization with a long history and many friends, we work and partner across the City with government, business and community-based organizations. Wildcat is the chosen vendor for the Bronx Workforce1 Career Center, which is one of six such Centers throughout the City. The Center provides placement assistance and training to over 10,000 jobseekers each year and is the job engine for many Wildcat programs and other community organizations. The customer population includes both the chronically and recently unemployed, as well as those looking to upgrade their skills or their jobs through training and career coaching.