The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) helps youth and adults returning home from prison find and keep permanent employment. Participants begin the program with a week-long intensive job readiness training (led by CEO staff) to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to find a job and stay employed. Immediately after, each participant is placed in a temporary, paid job (supervised by CEO) as he or she works with vocational staff to find a permanent position. CEO also offers post-placement services and follow-up 12 months after a full-time position is gained. It works with over 2,500 parolees in New York City annually, over a third of whom are 18 to 25 years old and generally have the greatest difficulty finding meaningful employment.

Evaluation Status: High-Level Apparent Effectiveness

CEO is participating in a $25 million, six organization random assignment impact evaluation conducted by MDRC and the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. This longitudinal study will follow clients for up to three years. First year preliminary results show CEO’s employment-specific intervention following prison release leads to statistically significant  reductions in felony convictions and re-incarceration.

EMCF Investment

Since 2003, the Foundation has invested $9.75 million to help CEO develop and implement its business plan. Among its accomplishments during this period, CEO implemented an organization-wide performance tracking and management system, and designed a specialized outreach program to address the needs of youth participants.

For more information, visit CEO’s website at www.ceoworks.org.