The Accelerator
In 2014 Lee Skaalrud met Garlicia Montgomery and became her mentor. Garlicia was a homeless teenager in Minneapolis that was timing out of services at YouthLink, a support organization for homeless teens. Garlicia is now working for Target Corporation in their human resources department. Garlicia’s outlook, drive and ambition benefited from additional support. We’d like a chance to repeat that many times.
Why?
What is it?
For those candidates who are not ready for employer consideration, we want to offer an avenue for growth so that they may be ready in short order. The accelerator will be offered to educational institutions, as an extension to their career center, and provide an advanced business readiness transition for their students with a ready pipeline of high quality employers. The accelerator will also focus on underserved populations and have connections to relocation support, transportation and more.
The Model
The Accelerator is modeled after TechStars and CleanTech Open start-up accelerators. Candidates will apply for participation in the program via assessment, video interview and resume/LinkedIn profile. Those accepted will be provided a mentor that works with them through the program and beyond. The Accelerator is a 10 week, in-person/remote blended program that focuses on individual and group business readiness. Once the candidate graduates from the accelerator, they are then eligible for This Way Up or other employer pipelines.
Garlicia Montgomery and Lee Skaalrud, 2016.