Dress for Success Charlotte

Professional Womens Group (PWG): A membership-based association that meets monthly to network, retain employment and advance careers, the PWG strives to teach members about workplace communication, corporate culture, financial literacy/wealth building, balancing family and work, and more. Membership grew by nearly 19% in 2023. Mental Health and Wellness programming continued to be offered in these meetings and to all members throughout the year. Going Places Network (GPN): A specially-designed program for chronically unemployed and underemployed, GPN provides a curriculum that blends a proven methodology to improve the career prospects of unemployed and underemployed women and helps these women gain professional skills, accelerate their job searches and build confidence through weekly training sessions, one-on-one career coaching and networking in a supportive environment. Virtual and in-person programming currently meets twice a week over a 4-week period. Once employment is secured, clients are invited to enroll in the Professional Womens Group program where clients report earning $20,000 -$50,000+ annually.Career Center: A fully equipped business office for clients to use on their own and/or to meet with HR and Recruiting professionals for job search support and instruction including: rsum and cover-letter writing; Internet, email, and social media as job search tools; job placement software; mock interviews; and professional workshops on a wide variety of leadership and development topics designed specifically for women entering the workforce and advancing their careers. 282 clients (unduplicated) utilized the Career Center in 2023. We continued partnerships with Google and AARP to help clients increase their economic security by giving them the digital essentials they need to find and secure jobs, change careers, and explore entrepreneurship. 52 units of service were offered through these programs.Financial Education: A 10-week curriculum developed with the National Endowment for Financial Education providing education on: Basic banking and budgeting, Credit and Debt Management, Investments and Retirement Planning; Workplace Benefits; Taxes, among other topics, including managing during a crisis, i.e., COVID-19 and historically high inflation rates. Upon completion of the program: 100% set personal financial goals; 59% of program participants have an emergency fund, an increase of 18% from time of enrollment; 65% actively monitor spending to maintain a budget; 47% are currently investing for retirement and/or other long-term goals, up 29% from time of program enrollment.

Interview and Employment Suiting: Overall, more than720 women utilized workforce development programs and services in 2023. Of those, 721 women (unduplicated) participated in this program in 2023. Offered free of charge, this program provides two complete interview outfits, including shoes and accessories, and when see secures employment, she will receive up to up to five outfits for an instant working wardrobe. This service is often the first point of contact for those seeking job preparedness and job acquisitions services. In 2023, 721 women (unduplicated) participated in these programs.