JONESBORO — Strive Atlanta, a workforce development organization, made a presentation to the Clayton County Board of Commissioners during its Aug. 8 work session.
Strive Atlanta is looking to expand into Clayton County and at the Aug. 8 meeting, Executive Director Jomal Vailes said the amount they would be requesting from the BOC would be $100,000.
Vailes said the organization has had success in Fulton County, especially in East Point.
He also said the group has reached out to Clayton County Public Schools and Superintendent Anthony Smith, the Clayton County Development Authority, and the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce.
Commissioner Gail Hambrick asked Vailes if the school board had contributed anything financially and Vailes said no but the school system is providing space at North Clayton High School.
Hambrick later told Vailes to go back to the school board and also talk to other entities about contributing financially.
Commissioner Alieka Anderson requested more data overall, including data on the program in East Point, information on how they track data on outcomes, how they make sure students are tracked, and how they are progressing.
Vailes said Strive Atlanta is focused on career training and placement, and the organization has partnerships with Atlanta Tech and Chattahoochee Tech.
Strive began 40 years ago in New York, expanded to Atlanta in 2020, and is now in 11 states, Vailes said.
The Clayton County program would be for Clayton County residents only, Vailes said.
Programs of study include logistics (which includes forklift certification) and office administration support.
“In 1984, STRIVE was founded in East Harlem to tackle the chronic unemployment and poverty that plagued disenfranchised communities across New York City,” information from the strive.org website states. “Our groundbreaking approach of intensive…
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