Missouri Career Center and Alternative Opportunities Awarded Chase Grant

Alternative Opportunities, Inc., in collaboration with The City of Springfield’s Department of Workforce Development, was recently awarded a $40,000 grant from Chase to provide career readiness testing via ACT’s National Career Readiness program (NCRC) to students in underserved rural communities. The program will launch first in Stone and Taney counties in Southwest Missouri, enabling those communities to get closer to Certified Work Ready Community status. The Missouri Career Center will also employ its Mobile Career Center to reach the students and also to provide instruction on work readiness and career exploration.

The Mobile Career Center brings career readiness testing to students in underserved rural communities. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Helping people develop the skills they need to compete for today's jobs can transform lives and strengthen economies,” said Tony Polodna, Operations Leader at the Chase Operations Center in Springfield. “At Chase we’re making investments to strengthen and scale the most effective workforce training programs in our communities.”

The grant awarded by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation will also allow the Missouri Career Center to upgrade the Mobile Career Center, implement marketing and outreach efforts as well as provide the scholarships for all graduating seniors in the counties to take the NCRC which will give them a credential to be able to enter the workforce.

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