Workforce Development

The Knott Foundation supports programs that help participants build industry-informed skills, while providing essential case management, job placement, and retention services.

Employment is a key pathway to personal success and economic stability: jobs provide wages to meet basic needs, but also purpose and opportunity. Despite being one of the most well-educated and well-compensated workforces in the nation, 39% of Maryland’s employed households are still unable to afford the state’s high cost of living. Our strategy targets low-wage, underemployed, and disenfranchised adults who want to improve their opportunities for success, by helping them to:

  • Overcome barriers to employment like incarceration or a criminal record, access to transportation and childcare, reading and language proficiency, financial literacy, and more.
  • Participate in well-designed, industry-informed workforce development programs that provide job placement and retention services.
  • Engage in supportive services like soft skills acquisition and counseling to improve their chances for success.