What Happens When Government & Companies Work Together?

Sam Caucci
Aug 25, 2017 · 7 min read

Powerful event yesterday in the City of Newark. It was an example of what really can happen when companies and government work together.

When both work to bring jobs, opportunities, training and access to the people that power their community.

It has to do with companies realizing the impact they can have on their local community. It has to do with government officials being motivated to hit the streets to show citizens that they care about their success.

And it has to do with both parties working together to identify the barriers and struggles faced by people trying to enter the workforce. And then…breaking them down!

The event below was powerful. And it was simple. It speaks for itself.

Step 1. Partner with local companies looking to hire.

Step 2. Find local partners that are motivated to contribute and help with the effort through training, resources or additional tools.

Step 3. Bring the workforce office to the people. Literally.

It was a privilege to be a part of an awesome event. Watch a full recap of the event below…

“Providing residents with meaningful jobs and career opportunities is at the core of my administration’s efforts. Through groundbreaking programs and innovative apps like 1HUDDLE and with a critical business partner such as HelloFresh, we are strengthening prosperity for all of our residents. Newark will define the direction for all of America’s cities in job creation and economic growth.” — Mayor Ras Baraka

And the full Press Release from the City of Newark…


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAYOR BARAKA, LABOR COMMISSIONER FICHTNER, AND DEPUTY MAYOR RAHAMAN MUHAMMAD UNVEIL “JOBMOBILE” AND ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIPS WITH HOUSING AUTHORITY, HELLOFRESH AND 1HUDDLE TO BOOST CITY EMPLOYMENT AND UPGRADE WORKER SKILLS

Newark Workforce on Wheels (NewarkWOW) mobile unit will house and transport workforce professionals throughout the city of Newark to provide information and resources on jobs programs, employment opportunities, and support services; NHA will host NewarkWOW at their properties; HelloFresh has committed to hiring Newark workers; 1HUDDLE donates gaming platform to boost City employment

Newark, NJ — August 23, 2017 — Mayor Ras J. Baraka, State Labor Commissioner Aaron Fichtner, Assistant Commissioner Patricia Moran, Deputy Mayor for Employment Rahaman Muhammad, the Newark Housing Authority, HelloFresh US Human Resources Manager Pablo Velez, and 1HUDDLE CEO Sam Caucci unveiled the Newark Workforce on Wheels (NewarkWOW) mobile unit and announced strategic collaborative partnerships designed to boost City employment and enhance Newark workers’ vocational skills today, at Bradley Court, located at 46 N. Munn Avenue, in Newark.

Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka addresses the crowd.

Deputy Mayor Muhammad led the city’s effort to identify and retrofit a used mobile unit from the Newark Police Division. The NewarkWOW will serve as a satellite office for NewarkWORKS, to provide the following: remote access to employment and training referrals; employer recruitment sessions in local neighborhoods; access to online job applications, resume writing and testing; resources to support services and workforce programs; job readiness, life skills training and information workshops.

“Providing residents with meaningful jobs and career opportunities is at the core of my administration’s efforts,” Mayor Baraka said. “Through groundbreaking programs and innovative apps like 1HUDDLE and with a critical business partner such as HelloFresh, we are strengthening prosperity for all of our residents. Newark will define the direction for all of America’s cities in job creation and economic growth.”

1HUDDLE has generously donated its training platform to the Newark Workforce Development Board (NWDB), and its program NewarkWORKS as part of a joint venture to better prepare citizens for the state-required test that allows access to free job training services.

“Everybody that works hard deserves to be trained,” said Mr. Caucci. “We are excited to work with both the people that power our workforce and the great people in the city of Newark who work hard every day to give their citizens the tools to succeed.”

Currently, Newark has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state of New Jersey at 7.9 percent. The goal of NewarkWORKS, the program in which 1HUDDLE is being implemented, is to bring that rate down to at least 3.9 percent by October 2018. In order to reach the program goals, a minimum of 4,720 Newark residents need to be placed in employment by the deadline.

“The need to ensure that we are providing residents all means to accessing good jobs, and we are taking our office services into the community,” said Deputy Mayor Muhammad. “We are providing residents of the city every tool and opportunity to get prepared and apply for work. We need to be able to go into the neighborhoods and provide a means of bringing our daily work of providing Job Readiness Skill Building, Vocational Training and Job Placement services closer to the residents of Newark.”

The partnership with HelloFresh US is the first of its kind for the international food distribution company. HelloFresh is looking to expand beyond its current 100 to 150 agents at its call center, which is based in Newark’s Gateway Center Three. The company also has 350 employees at its Newark distribution facility.

“As the Human Resources Manager for the Customer Care group at HelloFresh, I’m excited to see the relationship between HelloFresh and the city of Newark grow. As one of Newark’s new corporate neighbors on the block, we remain engaged in sharing employment opportunities with local candidates through our partnership with Newark Works. Supporting our local community is a great way to affect change as seen by the increase in team members that live in Newark. 28 percent of our Customer Care team members are Newark residents in addition to those in our Distribution Center. Matching talented Newark-based candidates with our open Newark-based roles is win-win opportunity that HelloFresh is elated to be a part of,” said Mr. Velez.

NewarkWORKS is the one-stop operator under the NWDB and provides a variety of employment opportunities and training programs, which includes counseling, job placement, and workforce re-entry preparation. Its work with 1HUDDLE is the latest in a long-term plan to improve employment outcomes for City residents.

“The aim of the NewarkWOW is to bring the City of Newark’s Workforce Development services closer into the communities most in need,” said NewarkWORKS Director Tom Bacote. “Many within our communities have transportation & IT challenges. The Newark Workforce on Wheels removes those obstacles by bringing NewarkWORKS’ OneStop services directly to their Newark Housing Authority complex. When programmatic partnerships form between Newark’s business, community and government, residents benefit.”


About HelloFresh

HelloFresh, an international food distribution company, has outgrown its space in Linden and is relocating to Newark into a new 350,000 square-foot building. They will require 350 new hires for their distribution facility and 100 new hires for their new call center, in Newark’s Gateway Center Three.

In its pursuit of transforming how we cook and eat at home, HelloFresh delivers fresh ingredients and simple step-by-step recipes to create nutritious home-cooked meals in around 30 minutes. Hellofresh currently operates in seven countries across the globe, soon to be nine.


About 1HUDDLE

1HUDDLE is a technology-based employee training platform that supports workforce development through games. With a mobile-first approach to training the modern worker, a library of quick burst employee skill games, and the option for personalized content, 1HUDDLE is changing the way organization think about their training — from a one-time boring onboarding experience to a continuously used motivation tool. Key clients include ESPN, Audible, Madison Square Garden, Golden State Warriors, Denver International Airport, and Rutgers University. To learn more about 1HUDDLE and its platform, please visit http://1huddle.co/.


About Newark Workforce Development Board

Newark Workforce Development Board (NWBD)is both a government agency and a 501 c3 non-profit organization. The mission of the NWDB is to lead and empower the City of Newark’s workforce system by leveraging assets and resources to ensure the educational, professional and economic success of Newark residents and the prosperity of businesses in our community.

The NWDB is a business-led Board of Directors that engages businesses to link the services of the local workforce system with the needs of the private sector. The NWDB is charged with integrating publicly funded workforce services and job training programs into a system that is flexible, seamless, accountable, and responsive to the needs of both workers and businesses. To learn more about NWDB and its NewarkWORKS initiative, please visit http://www.newarkwdb.org/newark_works.

About Newark

For more information on the City of Newark, please visit our website www.newarknj.gov

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Sam Caucci

Written by

Everybody that works hard deserves to be trained. Founder & CEO at http://1huddle.co

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