Meet the Team Behind 650 Connections: Workforce Development Month at the Urban League
September is Workforce Development Month, and we are using it to introduce you to the people who spend every day turning a job search into a career. Meet the Office of Workforce Development & Career Services.
The mission, in their words
The Office of Workforce Development & Career Services equips youth, adults, returning citizens, and career changers with the skills, credentials, networks, and confidence to secure family-sustaining employment. Career coaching, industry-aligned training, employer partnerships, digital literacy, paid work experiences, and holistic supportive services all work together to remove barriers and build sustainable pathways to economic mobility.
The team
Charity Tucker, who leads the Office of Workforce Development
Karlin Jones, Workforce Engagement Manager
Jonathan Hanson, Workforce Experience Coordinator
Jermaine Douglas Moore, Career and Workforce Development Specialist
Together they run the Working Wednesday Career Center, the Summer Internship Program, the Urban Tech Jobs Program, the Urban Construction Jobs Program, Ready2Work, community hiring events, employer partnerships, alumni engagement, and the Career Corner newsletter.
What a year of that work looks like
In FY 2025/2026, this team connected more than 650 job seekers to employment, coaching, and career pathways, and engaged more than 230 employers, schools, apprenticeship programs, and community partners across Greater Philadelphia. They placed 85 paid college interns over two summers with 35 or more employer hosts. 185 Google AI Essentials certifications were earned through the department's digital literacy push with Verizon Skills Forward. Ready2Work graduated 38 participants across two cohorts, and the Urban Tech Jobs Program produced 28 industry-recognized CompTIA certifications.
They also helped make a room happen that more than 500 returning citizens and job seekers walked into: the Second Chance Reentry Job Fair with Temple University, where fair-chance employers, legal resources, and career coaches were waiting on the same floor.
The month ahead
Workforce Development Month is not a celebration of what is finished. It is an invitation. In the articles that follow, you will find a free cloud certification cohort, a leadership pathway with Harvard coursework, and the Career Center that ties it all together. Pick one and take a step.
Momentum Newsletter: September 2026 | Issue 9 | Impact
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