Dress for Success
4623 Wesley Avenus, Suite H
Norwood, OH 45212
HigherHER for High Schools
Dress for Success aims to take itsHigherHER program to young women in several Cincinnati high schools. Our HigherHER career development program helps unemployed and under-employed women gain professional skills, accelerate their job search, and build confidence. We offer HigherHER at our headquarters, but we've begun to take this program to other organizations where cohorts of women are preparing to enter or re-enter the workplace.We're seeing more and more young women turn to us for help starting their careers. We're working to get ahead of this trend by bringing our career support directly to young women, in disadvantaged communities, before they graduate from high school. New research from Brookings Metro and Child Trends finds that nearly 60% of adults who were socioeconomically disadvantaged in their teens continue to struggle economically at age 30—facing low earnings, high poverty rates, and many barriers to employment. For large shares of young people (and disproportionately those who are female, Black, Latino, or Hispanic) there is a direct path from high school to low-wage employment, unemployment, and poverty.HigherHER in high schools will help set young Cincinnati women up to beat these odds and prepare them for economic and financial success.
Program Goas:
In 2023, the plan is to expand the scope of our existing HigherHER career development program to young women in several Cincinnati high schools and high school programs. In particular, we are in active discussion with Dohn Community High School, GRAD Cincinnati, and Queen City Career Prep High School, each of which has approached us with interest.
We have traditionally offered HigherHER at our headquarters, and this year, we've begun offering this program on-site at other agencies, where cohorts of women are preparing to enter or re-enter the workplace. In June, we began presenting the program weekly at the Hamilton County Courthouse, to women in the CHANGE Court program. We are also in the process of formalizing a partnership to offer HigherHER on-site at Dayton Correctional Institute for women approaching their release dates.
Upon learning of our on-site HigherHER offering, the above-mentioned schools and programs reached out with interest, particularly for female students who are on the Career and Technical Education (CTE track). Each of these schools/programs serves a predominantly low-income student population, and the HigherHER program will help set students for success as they prepare to start their careers.
Through HigherHER, we work with women both individually and in group settings, to prepare for employment, job search, and advance in their careers. The program helps set women up for success in their careers by focusing on soft skills and covering:...
• Organizational Job Search Planning
• Change Management
• Transferable Job Skills
• Resumes
• Identifying Employment Objectives
• Beyond the Job Board: Building an Effective Network and Developing the Blueprint
• Cover Letters that Get Results
• Presenting Yourself: Putting Your Best Foot Forward
• Everything You Need to Know About the Interview
• What To Do if You Didn't Get the Job?
• Career Panel
• Exercises: Mock Interviews, • Job Fair Participation
• Job Shadowing, • Public Speaking, and • Career Center
• Workplace Professionalism
• Salary Negotiations
• Understanding Benefits
• Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Program Results:
No Grant Evaluation Report was submitted.
Website:
http://www.dfscincy.org Amount: $20,000
Date: December 2022
