The Momentum Urban Employment Initiative is a six-week, community- based economic development program that connects unemployed and underemployed individuals of the community to sustainable employment opportunities through pre-employment training, life skills training, coaching and networking with its business partners. The program emphasizes five major components: Pre- Employment Education, Volunteer Work Experience, Mentoring, Job Placement and Job Evaluation with Incentives.

During these six weeks, the program utilizes principles of cognitive behavioral therapy and is developed, organized, and facilitated to address the following eight dimensions of wellness, regarded as being essential to a person’s capacity for self-efficacy: Physical, Social, Emotional, Spiritual, Mental, Environmental, Financial, and Vocational. The employment aspect of this program have been designed around the Azrin Employment Readiness Model including: résumé writing, cover letter construction, budgeting funds, job search and interview techniques, online job searching, image development, etc. Every student completes 100 hours of in-class instruction as well as 100 hours of Volunteer Work Experience outside of the classroom with other nonprofit organizations within the community. In addition, Momentum addresses the root causes of early job loss by building capacity and resiliency within the students through essential and life skills classes.

Urban Alliance has established the Momentum Business Network (MBN), whose members guarantee interviews for each graduate upon completion of the program and whose policies allow for the hiring of Momentum graduates. Currently, the MBN consists of 55 business partner organizations. Through ongoing conversations with these business partners, we are constantly receiving feedback on the performance of the graduates placed. We use the feedback provided to monitor the content and effectiveness of the program. The Momentum program also utilizes community members, business partners, economic and community development organizations, past graduates, and KVCC and WMU staff to advise Momentum staff on all matters of the program. This ensures the program continually meets the needs of those we serve. We are shortening the feedback loop to respond to changes in the business community.