- Cara provides concierge-level services, including one year of retention coaching post-hire, to ensure job seekers remain successful in their roles.
- Cara emphasizes social-emotional training as a key differentiator for its job seekers, promoting them as resilient and reliable hires. This focus on emotional development is not explicitly highlighted in Cook County’s methods.
- Cara’s “Motivations” sessions serve as a unique way to showcase its culture, participant achievements, and supportive environment. Employers attending these sessions witness celebrations of participant milestones, such as job placements or one-year anniversaries.
- Cara positions itself as a pre-apprenticeship program, preparing participants with workplace skills like time management and professionalism before connecting them to employers. This shifts employer perceptions of Cara from a community group to a professional workforce development organization.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Tim Loeffler in 2025. This content was approved by the organization in March 2025.
