Job-Readiness Program

The primary focus of Coffee With A Cause is sustainable employment for transitional age youth (TAY) . We serve youth who:

• Are age 16-24 (seniors in high school or above)

• Have experienced foster care, homelessness and justice system-involvement

During our program, youth receive soft skill training, a paid internships with a local business, and 1 year of mentorship from a community volunteer. Our aim is that each youth completes the program with measurable improvement in soft and hard job skills, resume-ready experience and references, and support in obtaining sustainable employment.

All training and internships are currently in Pasadena and Highland Park. Youth are not required to live in those city limits, as long as they have transportation to and within one of those cities.

Already familiar with our program and ready to take next steps? Click the button below to apply to our next internship cohort! Our application has key dates listed. If you’d like to learn more about our program before applying, scroll down to see the three main components of our program: soft skill training, paid internships, and mentorship.

Step 1: Soft Skill Training

Every quarter, we install a new cohort of interns who receive soft skill training prior to placement in their internship. Our goal is to equip them with fundamental workplace skills that will set them apart as they begin their career journeys. During this time, we focus on the topics of:

Step 2: Paid Internships

During soft skill training, interns are matched with a local business partner. We collaborate with each intern to place them in a business and position that best fits their interests and long-term career goals. These range from coffee, to retail, to landscaping and more.

Throughout their internship, each intern is equipped with hard skill training and hands-on experience. Coffee with a Cause staff continue to be a support to each intern during this time, checking in regularly with all interns and being available to navigate any questions or concerns. The goal for each intern is to secure stable, long-term employment after the program.

Step 3: Mentorship and Career-Building

During the internship period, youth are encouraged to shift their focus to job searching. The goal of our program is for our youth participants to successfully obtain and maintain meaningful employment as part of their path to independence. Youth are paired with a volunteer mentor for one year to support them in job searching and job retention.

Mentors can also offer support to youth with finding resources for basic life skills like budgeting, transportation, and more as needed and able. These mentors are passionate volunteers from the community who are screened, trained and supported by our program staff.

Career Resources

After completing their internship, our youth can take industry certification tests to validate their job skills and impress future job interviewers, such as:

On-Demand Classes

All our interns and alumni have access to classes from partner organizations to thrive on their pathway to future success.