Regional Partners Are Helping Build Better Careers Show ‘GROWWTH’ in West Tennessee

In 2022, CAEL received a $15.7 million grant under Truist Foundation's Where It Starts initiative. Through this partnership, CAEL is leading Build Better Careers, a six-year national initiative to put underserved adult learners on pathways to success.

To scale Build Better Careers’ impact while offering locally optimized resources, CAEL is marshaling the collective strength of a diverse coalition of national and regional partners. They include colleges and universities, nonprofits, community-based service providers, workforce development organizations, and employers in the financial services sector and adjacent industries.

During its six-year operating period, Build Better Careers will provide free training, coaching, and placement assistance to those looking to upskill and advance in their careers. These resources support a goal of helping more than 6,000 people access career-boosting postsecondary education and higher-wage jobs in five regions, including Memphis, where the Growing Relational and Occupational Wealth for West Tennessee Households (GROWWTH) program is among CAEL's regional partners.

GROWWTH is led by the University of Memphis, a CAEL institutional member. Backed by a $25 million Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Initiative Implementation Grant, GROWWTH shares several priorities with Build Better Careers. The program aims to improve the economic well-being of low-income households in West Tennessee through initiatives that include workforce readiness training opportunities such as GROWWTH Academy, an accelerated training program. The GROWWTH program offers child care and transportation assistance for employed participants in addition to family wellness support options to help them succeed along a variety of career pathways.

"At any given time 96% or more of our participants are women," said Stephanie Godwin-Chu, Project Director for GROWWTH at UofM’s Center for Regional Economic Enrichment. "All are parents caring for children and about half are single parents. The types of classes we offer tend to appeal to our client base, which has specific needs related to wellness and financial stability."

Through the partnership with Build Better Careers, GROWWTH participants can also attend free training from BankWork$, another Build Better Careers partner. BankWork$ provides free career training, placement assistance, and coaching to support access to rewarding careers in banking.

To further advance the partnership with GROWWTH, Build Better Careers will also provide training to the program’s business services staff to enhance their connection with the employers within the region. Build Better Careers is also developing career pathways within the health care industry for the GROWWTH program, an expansion of its original West Tennessee mission to meet the needs of the program and its participants.

"We quickly realized we had an opportunity in Memphis to further scale Build Better Careers and support learners beyond the finance and insurance industries," said Ashley Wilhelm, senior director of initiatives at CAEL, who oversees CAEL's Build Better Careers work. "In addition, GROWWTH participants are predominantly underserved, which is the target population within the Build Better Careers strategy to improve inclusive economic mobility in the region."

Although GROWWTH helps participants enter rewarding career pathways, its focus doesn't stop with improved wages. "We find that once income increases, participants often do not feel they have the knowledge to navigate household finances effectively and avoid debt traps," said Godwin-Chu. To build and improve such competencies, the GROWWTH Academy includes free access to money management and 10 other individual or employment-related skills via one-hour online modules.

Last May, GROWWTH debuted a “special milestone” learning series entitled “Money Management in May” that includes a stipend for participants who complete more extensive training on financial literacy and wellness. The series’ objective was to increase financial knowledge and literacy and to boost participants’ capacity to responsibly manage resources provided by the GROWWTH program and resulting higher wage job attainment.

"The series offered a deep dive into topics that our participants can relate to, such as managing household finances, paying down debt, understanding credit scores, identifying predatory lenders, personal banking, and more," said Godwin-Chu.

The milestone series consists of seven one-hour synchronous online classes. Courses were taught by GROWWTH staff and community partners, including Hope Credit Union—a member of Build Better Careers’ Industry Advisory Council, which helped tailor resources to community needs.

The special milestone program encourages more participants to take the time to actively engage with these critical resources. Participants who attended four classes in the series or completed four activities received $400. One example of a qualifying activity was opening a new savings account with a minimum balance of $100 at a local credit union of participants’ choosing. Studies have shown that building even modest savings balances supports financial security, reducing the risk of eviction and missed utility payments.

Of the 98 participants who attended classes during the series, 49 qualified for the milestone payment. The series also prompted six participants who did not have a savings account to open one.

Participants returned rave reviews for the series. "The GROWWTH program thus far has already made a major impact in my life by providing me with resources that meet my needs," said one woman, adding, "I have an amazing Care Coordinator who helps and answers my questions along the way."

Another said, "The GROWWTH program is the best thing going out here for women like me. I can't thank you enough."

Inspired by the positive results, the GROWWTH program completed a second milestone series in December, this one entitled "12 Days of Wellness." It offered a mix of financial, mental health, and overall wellness topics.

More than 450 participants attended classes. Three hundred twenty-six received a $500 milestone payment by meeting the requirement of attending at least six sessions.

The GROWWTH Academy looks to continue the momentum. "We plan to offer Money Management in May again with a slightly different focus," said Godwin-Chu. "We may be looking to provide resources for home ownership preparation. A lot of our participants are renters, living with relatives, or in transition when they come into the program."