The Cincinnati Talent Acceleration Program (CTAP)

CTAP addresses the systemic and cyclical marginalization of chronically under-/unemployed individuals while tackling the “skills gap” identified by technology employers. In Cincinnati, 20% of adults lack a postsecondary credential and/or the skills required for stable, well-paying jobs, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. Nationally, more than 36.8M adults under 65 have college experience but no credential.

This creates significant income gaps. Locally, individuals with no high school diploma earn $23,346 annually, compared to $31,147 for those with a diploma and $54,384 with a bachelor. Income inequality is tied to ethnicity. The poverty rate for white residents is 10.38%, compared to 34.99% for Black and 42.89% for Hispanic.

Local workforce development boards have identified information technology as an in-demand industry locally, with job growth expected to increase over the next decade. IT careers typically offer family-sustaining wages, making it a crucial focus for workforce development.

CTAP prioritizes low-income individuals, those needing basic skills, and long-term unemployed individuals. By building partnerships with local organizations and IT employers, we address the problem through training and education to prepare individuals for in-demand jobs. CTAP is poised to play a critical role in this effort, addressing under-/unemployment, credentialing gaps, and low wages in our region.

CTAP prioritizes access, inclusion, and justice, integrating diverse perspectives, and addressing critical issues such as race, gender, and technology’s role in shaping work. This empowers learners to redefine their relationship with work and advocate for sustainable, meaningful career paths through three pillars:

1. NEXT Careers, our career training component, addresses systemic challenges faced by marginalized populations. Rather than focusing solely on skill acquisition and immediate job placement, we take a multidimensional approach. Participants learn about the societal impacts of work, workplace power dynamics, and equity, empowering students to challenge systemic barriers. By emphasizing career management as a lifelong journey, we equip learners with tools to navigate and influence an evolving workforce landscape.
2. Credential preparation offers access to CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+ industry-recognized certifications. These prepare participants for advanced roles in fields facing significant workforce shortages. By aligning credentials with employer demands, CTAP ensures participants gain qualifications that open pathways to sustainable careers. This addresses individual economic needs and opportunity/generational wealth gap.
3. Wraparound services provide a network of tailored support to each participant. CTAP has identified community partners that provide professional clothing, mental health services, technology equipment, and housing support, facilitating access to essential services.

CTAP was intentionally designed using the input of historically underserved populations, including individuals facing systemic barriers to stable employment, and evidence-based research. Of the 857 CTAP participants who volunteered demographic information, 53% are Black, 33% white, 8% Asian, 4% two+ races, and <1% Indigenous, highlighting our focus on advancing racial equity. Many are justice-impacted, navigating the challenges of workforce reentry, or rely on government assistance programs such as SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid.

CTAP’s approach aims to redefine the goals of workforce development for adult learners, especially in underrepresented or justice-impacted groups. The average age is 36.5 at program entry, with 52.4% aged 36+, 37% aged 40+, and 6% aged 55+. This speaks to the need for targeted career training for all stages of life and career. By using a holistic model that encourages critical engagement with societal/economic work influences, CTAP sets a new standard for "career readiness." This has the potential to influence funders and policymakers to support more comprehensive, equity-focused workforce programs, expanding the scope of workforce development nationwide.

CTAP has achieved measurable success. Participants currently report median earnings of $12,506 in the second quarter after exit, reflecting the program’s ability to foster sustainable employment and improve economic outcomes.

CTAP is uniquely positioned to deliver its transformative workforce development solution because its leadership and staff embody the principle of “proximate leadership” as described in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The program’s director, a first-generation college graduate from a rural area, brings nearly a decade of experience in non-traditional education and workforce development, coupled with 18 years in the tech and publishing industries. Occupational skills instructors, many of whom entered the tech industry through alternative pathways such as certifications or non-linear college timelines, share lived experiences that resonate with the challenges faced by participants. A significant portion of the team identifies as people of color or LGBTQIA, fostering cultural responsiveness and empathy in service delivery. Moreover, the majority of the team resides in the same communities they serve, enabling a deeper understanding of local barriers. We are, and have been, the students we serve. This proximity allows the team to design and deliver programming rooted in participants’ lived realities, fostering trust, authenticity, and shared purpose. Participant input further informs program development, ensuring solutions that align with their needs.

CTAP’s connection to the University of Cincinnati and its placement within the College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies (CCPS) further strengthens its foundation. CCPS emphasizes career and skills development and is deeply embedded in the local community through partnerships with employers, industry boards, and stakeholders. Building on its alignment with UC Aspire, a Title II WIOA program, CTAP leverages established relationships with community partners who refer learners and provide wraparound supports. These assets position CTAP to address workforce needs effectively while advancing equity and inclusion in the region.

CTAP launched in 2022. NEXT Careers I has been offered every semester, with NEXT Careers II available most semesters, and NEXT Careers III offered when funding allows. Over two years, 115 students completed NEXT Careers I, 32 completed NEXT Careers II, and 12 completed NEXT Careers III. Of those 12, every student is employed. CTAP offers technology credentialing courses to respond to workforce needs. Staff members completed either the NCDA’s Facilitating Career Development training or the National College Transition Network’s Navigating Pathways to Opportunities course, strengthening our capacity for career navigation.

CTAP has been supported by UC Aspire, a state-funded WIOA program emphasizing workforce development for adults. While this has been integral to CTAP’s establishment, we face scalability challenges due to limited funding and Aspire’s need to support other programs like ESL, GED preparation, and workplace education. As a result, CTAP currently serves 40 individuals per year.

Despite limitations, CTAP reaches additional learners through partnerships and innovative programming, including CTAP Launch and CTAP Bootcamps, career development workshops for UC’s School of IT, adapted curriculum for learners with intellectual/developmental disabilities, and leadership development training for a local manufacturer. This demonstrates CTAP’s adaptability and commitment to fostering inclusive and impactful solutions.

https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/hireuc/

https://www.facebook.com/HireUC/

https://www.uc.edu/about/conti... 

CTAP takes a distinct approach to career preparation:

• Addressing Systemic Challenges: CTAP tackles systemic barriers that marginalized populations face, encouraging critical reflection and empowering participants to challenge barriers through skills and knowledge.
• Dual Focus on Technical and Professional Skills: CTAP merges technical certification and career development, allowing students to learn information technology skills while building essential career skills like resume writing and interviewing.
• Holistic Curriculum: Unlike programs that narrowly focus on skill acquisition and immediate employment outcomes, CTAP integrates personal, social, and historical dimensions of work into its curriculum, covering topics such as workplace equity, power dynamics, and societal impacts of work.
• Career Management for Life: CTAP emphasizes career management as a lifelong process, equipping learners with the tools to navigate and influence a rapidly evolving workforce.
• Customized Job Search: CTAP tailors the job search to each student’s background and goals. By teaching students how to match their unique skills and experiences to specific opportunities, the program enables a more targeted and successful job search. CTAP prioritizes access, inclusion, and justice by offering robust support services, promoting diverse perspectives, and addressing issues like race, gender, and technology’s role in shaping work.
• Alignment with National Standards: By adhering to the National Career Development Association guidelines, CTAP ensures comprehensive, standards-based training across professional, educational, and personal development domains.
• Active Application of Skills: Students apply career development skills through assignments. This hands-on approach encourages students to test and refine their skills in real-time, making learning more relevant and effective. 

 CTAP redefines the career training landscape through its holistic, equity-focused approach. Integrating technical and professional development, offering personalized guidance, and fostering experiential learning prepares students not just for jobs but for meaningful, sustainable career paths. CTAP graduates set a high standard for the workforce that could inspire other programs to adopt similarly comprehensive models. 

Impact Goal 1: Empower participants to secure meaningful employment that values their full identities, celebrates their authentic selves, and provides family-sustaining salaries to foster financial stability and long-term success.

Indicator: Median earnings of graduates exceed $10,000 in the second and fourth quarters post-program.

Indicator: Career satisfaction surveys conducted one year after program exit measure alignment with personal values, job satisfaction, and perceptions of workplace inclusion.

Impact Goal 2: Enhance students' job retention, career progression, confidence, and satisfaction by equipping them with the skills, tools, and support needed to thrive in fulfilling and sustainable careers.

Indicator: 65% of participants will be employed six months after program exit; 70% of participants will be employed two years after program exit.

Indicator: 50% of participants will receive a sustained wage increase from the time of initial program enrollment to two years post-program exit.

Impact Goal 3: Redefine workforce development by shifting the focus beyond skill acquisition and immediate employment to address systemic challenges, foster lifelong career management, and emphasize the holistic, human-centered dimensions of work.

Indicator: Establishment of at least five new employer or industry partnerships that actively interview or hire CTAP graduates within three years.

The current CTAP team is:

• One full-time staff member (director who also works with other programs)
• One part-time staff member (student IT support)
• Four contracted individuals (one career navigator, two academic instructors + career navigators, and one technical instructor)

The organization has been working on the solution for about two and a half years. CTAP began in August 2022. 

The CTAP team, though small, is intentionally diverse, comprising people of color, first-generation college graduates, individuals skilled through alternative routes (STARs), and those who identify as LGBTQIA+. CTAP was born from the team's collective question: “What happens when work doesn’t work equitably for everyone?” This inquiry shaped the program’s foundation in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), which informs everything from curriculum design to wraparound supports. CTAP focuses on three core principles:

• Support is essential to opportunity: Students need resources and guidance to succeed.
• Contextualizing lived experiences matters: Sense-making and contextualization of lived experience is necessary to understanding and advancing a student’s relationship to and with work.
• Inclusive employer partnerships are vital: Long-term success hinges on employers valuing ability and potential. Seeking out quality employer partners who reflect the program’s values supports student success.

The program’s design reflects these values, offering participants a curriculum aligned with both their needs and the team’s shared commitment to equity.

The CTAP director prioritizes employing a diverse team to achieve two goals: ensuring participants see themselves represented in staff and instructors and creating opportunities for staff to grow. Recruitment focuses on individuals with non-traditional career paths, those who have overcome barriers, and people embedded in the communities they serve.

Team meetings center on work priorities, student outcomes, and staff well-being, fostering alignment of values and a sense of shared purpose. The CTAP director models these principles by examining systemic structures within the program, cultivating a welcoming environment, and encouraging staff to bring their authentic selves to work.

One long-term goal of program expansion is to create full-time staff positions, supporting both the program’s growth and the professional advancement of current team members. This commitment ensures that as CTAP supports its students, it also uplifts and empowers its team.

CTAP delivers value by addressing the unique needs of underserved populations through education, career development, and personalized support. The program provides career training, technical education, and mentoring designed to equip participants with the skills and confidence needed to succeed in today’s workforce. CTAP offers preparation for industry-recognized certifications, such as CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+, alongside the NEXT Careers curriculum, which integrates technical training with career readiness and equity-centered learning.

Services are delivered through a combination of classroom instruction, individualized coaching, and partnerships with community organizations and employers. Participants receive not only technical training but also the mentorship and accountability necessary for persistence and success. Wraparound services, such as networking opportunities and connections to local resources, ensure that participants are supported holistically, increasing their chances of achieving long-term success.

CTAP meets a critical need among unemployed and underemployed individuals who are eager to break into or advance within technical fields. Many participants require foundational skills to access sustainable, well-paying careers, while others seek guidance in developing a healthier relationship with their work. By fostering skill-building, critical self-reflection, and personal growth, CTAP empowers participants to overcome barriers and achieve their professional goals.

The program’s impact extends beyond individual success. CTAP enables participants to secure higher wages, advance their careers, and find meaningful employment that aligns with their values and authentic selves. Graduates often serve as powerful examples of success through non-traditional routes, proving that systemic barriers can be overcome with the right support. CTAP’s holistic and equity-driven approach not only transforms lives but also challenges the traditional workforce development model, promoting a more inclusive and sustainable labor market.

At a minimum, the CTAP program will continue operating under UC Aspire in a limited capacity. With two years remaining in the current grant cycle and anticipated funding in the next cycle, we can continue offering at least one CTAP cohort each semester. Additionally, we have successfully secured one-time funds on multiple occasions to supplement program costs, enabling us to run extra cohorts, provide technology to students, and offset program expenses. CTAP was a sub-awardee of the Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies Department of Labor grant from 2022-2024 that was awarded to the College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies from 2019-2024.  This award allowed CTAP to expand cohort offerings during this two-year period.

We are actively pursuing strategies to establish CTAP as a stand-alone, financially stable program:

• Securing Sustained Funding: Collaborating with the University of Cincinnati’s development office to identify long-term donations or grants.
• Employer Partnerships: Partnering with employers to offer CTAP program components for employee training
• State-Funded Opportunities: Collaborating with the local workforce development board to add NEXT Careers to the state’s education and training provider list, allowing state funding for participants.
• Revenue Models: Exploring a small participant fee model to generate revenue while keeping the program affordable.
• Grant Integration: Continuing to integrate CTAP and NEXT Careers into grant proposals within the College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies and across other university colleges.

These efforts aim to ensure CTAP’s long-term sustainability while maintaining its mission of providing accessible and impactful workforce development opportunities.

Working with the Truist Foundation and MIT Solve would significantly enhance the Cincinnati Talent Acceleration Program (CTAP), enabling us to amplify its impact on the learners we serve. CTAP is a program we are deeply passionate about, as it reimagines traditional career exploration and preparation by helping students explore their intimate relationship with work. Designed with learners’ voices and needs at its core, CTAP fosters a transformative approach to career readiness that aligns seamlessly with the mission and goals of our college.

Currently, CTAP operates within a funding model that limits its ability to expand and fully realize its potential. While it fits under the model technically, its growth and impact are constrained. We envision CTAP as a stand-alone program with the flexibility to evolve holistically, focusing even more deeply on the learners it supports. By working with the Truist Foundation and MIT Solve, we would have the opportunity to think beyond our current delivery methods and design a more sustainable and forward-thinking framework for CTAP’s future.

The resources and expertise provided by the Challenge would help us overcome key barriers, such as limited funding for program expansion and the need for strategic support to refine our long-term vision. Access to mentorship, funding opportunities, and a global network of innovators would provide the tools necessary to scale CTAP and position it as a transformative, learner-focused initiative with clear, measurable outcomes. Together, we can expand CTAP’s reach and create even greater possibilities for the students it empowers.