Unlocking the Labor Force

History

 

With the vision of helping the underserved and
hard-to-employ in finding meaningful employment, founder Jannett Keesling started Keys to Work in 1996. Initially operated as a for-profit business certified as a WBE/MBE, Keys to Work and Jannett received many awards for their innovative approaches to alternative staffing. Perhaps the most meaningful accolades came from the more than 10,000 people Keys to Work helped secure employment. For many of these individuals no other organizations could provide them the help needed to overcome their obstacles to employment. Much of Keys to Work’s success rested on ensuring that those who wanted to work were supported in both finding and keeping their jobs.

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As the numbers and needs of the underemployed and unemployed workers continued to increase, Keys to Work began to reconsider its business structure. With record numbers of homeless and justice-involved citizens seeking jobs, Keys to Work set out to find a way to help them. Leveraging the long-standing partnership with RecycleForce, Keys to Work established a Type 1 supporting nonprofit organization, Keys2Work, as the staffing arm of RecycleForce. As a nonprofit organization, Keys2Work could leverage its years of experience in staffing services to exclusively help homeless and justice-involved citizens. Keys2Work officially became incorporated as a nonprofit in 2020.

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Operating under the jobs model of A-B-C (Any job, Better Job, Career); Keys2Work helps employees access career opportunities once they have completed RecycleForce’s job training program (Any job) and been successfully employed in the community (Better job) in an effort to move them forward to a Career.