Meet the Team Behind 650 Connections: Workforce Development Month at the Urban League
Updated: Sep 16
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 and Career Services equips youth, adults, returning citizens, and career changers with the skills, credentials, networks, and confidence needed to secure family-sustaining employment. Through career coaching, industry-aligned training, employer partnerships, digital literacy, paid work experiences, and holistic supportive services, we remove barriers to opportunity and create sustainable pathways to economic mobility.
The team
Charity Tucker, Senior Director, Workforce Development & Career Services Karlin Jones, Workforce Engagement Manager Jonathan Hanson, Workforce Experience Coordinator Jermaine Douglas Moore, Career and Workforce Development Specialist
Charity Tucker, Senior Director, Workforce Development & Career Services
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 workforce events, employer engagement, alumni engagement, and the Career Corner newsletter.
What a year of that work looks like
In FY 2025/2026, this team connected with more than 650 job seekers across its events and programs and engaged more than 230 employers, institutions, apprenticeship programs, agencies, and nonprofits across Greater Philadelphia. Across two summers, they placed 85 paid college interns from 15 colleges and universities with more than 35 employer host organizations. 185 Google AI Essentials certifications were completed by job seekers, college interns, workforce professionals, and Urban League staff as the department expanded digital literacy through Verizon Skill Forward and Google AI Essentials. Ready2Work graduated 38 participants across two cohorts, and the Urban Tech Jobs Program produced 28 industry-recognized CompTIA certifications.
They also helped fill a room that more than 500 returning citizens and job seekers walked into: the Second Chance Reentry Job Fair, hosted with Temple University's Lenfest Center for Community Workforce Partnerships, where 100 resource and employer partners, including expungement and pardon resources, were waiting in the same room.
The month ahead
Workforce Development Month runs through September, and the team has three doors open right now:
A free AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification Cohort with Techsgiving: twelve weeks of live virtual instruction that kicks off the week of September 28.
The Verizon Skill Forward Leadership and Communication Pathway: three online courses, including two from Harvard University, with a Professional Certificate from the Urban League at the end.
The Working Wednesday series, which launches Tuesday, September 29 with "What's NExT For Your Career?", an evening hosted with NExT Philadelphia at the Urban League offices.
Each one has its own article in this issue, and each one starts with a single form or email. Pick the one that fits, and start there.
Momentum Newsletter: September 2026 | Issue 9 | Impact
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