Columbus Works

What Columbus Works does

Columbus Works, operated by Goodwill Columbus, is a nonprofit workforce development program serving Central Ohio job seekers who face barriers to employment. Founded with the mission of advancing residents from poverty to economic self-sufficiency, the program provides free job readiness training, personal career coaching, wraparound support services, and long-term follow-up. Program intake runs through the Jump Start class, a free four-day intensive introduction; participants are subsequently matched with an Employer Partner Network that creates structured career pathways. The organization targets Central Ohio residents facing barriers such as generational poverty, prior justice involvement, and gaps in job-readiness skills.

Program operations are delivered by a small core team of three workforce development professionals (Katrina in talent acquisition and customer experience; Jose Feliciano, a 20+ year social worker and Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award recipient who previously served a decade at Ohio Means Jobs; and Art Gray, a DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative graduate with 25 years of business and community service experience). Two physical Job Training Centers in Columbus (877 E. 11th Avenue and 605 S. Front Street #110) anchor service delivery, while governance and back-office functions sit at Goodwill Columbus's headquarters at 671 South High Street, Suite 800. The program is CARF accredited and operates under Goodwill Columbus's Candid Platinum Transparency 2026 seal.

Columbus Works operates on a donor-funded economic model: services are delivered at zero cost to participants, with funding sourced through charitable donations and grants to Goodwill Columbus. The organization is differentiated by community-led outreach, a stable Employer Partner Network, and high-visibility earned media, including a feature on PBS's Opportunity Knocks series and three 2025 Telly Awards won in the second consecutive season. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is conducted in person by the workforce development team, with an online enrollment portal at info.columbusworks.org/job-seekers serving as the primary digital intake.

Name

Columbus Works

Legal name

Goodwill Columbus

Website

https://columbusworks.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Columbus Works is a Goodwill Columbus-operated nonprofit workforce development program in Central Ohio that delivers free job training, personal career coaching, and employer-partner job placement to help residents facing barriers achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Workforce & Job-Seeker Services (Community-Based) (EDAAAFAM)

Keywords

• Workforce development services
• Job readiness training
• Career coaching programs
• Employment placement services
• Nonprofit workforce programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donor-funded social services: As a program of Goodwill Columbus, Columbus Works operates as a free service for job seekers, funded through charitable donations and grants rather than direct revenue generation from participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Columbus Works is a free workforce development program that provides job readiness training, personal career coaching, wraparound support services, and long-term follow-up to Central Ohio residents facing barriers to employment. Participants enter through a four-day Jump Start class, then receive individualized coaching and connection to a network of Employer Partners to secure sustainable employment and move toward economic self-sufficiency.

Product overview

Columbus Works is a single unified workforce development program operated by Goodwill Columbus. The core offering consists of the Columbus Works program itself, which provides free job training, personal career coaching, and long-term wraparound support services. New participants enter through the Jump Start Program—a free four-day intensive class. The program connects participants with an Employer Partner Network to facilitate job placement and career pathways. All services are provided at no cost to job seekers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Columbus Works Program
• Jump Start Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Life transformation in just four days through Jump Start program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Employer PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColumbus Works maintains a network of Employer Partners who share the mission of eliminating poverty and creating opportunities. These partners gain access to a reliable, work-ready talent pool and experience improvements in their talent acquisition strategy. The partnership creates career pathways connecting motivated job seekers with key employers.
• PBS - Opportunity KnocksflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerColumbus Works was featured in Opportunity Knocks, a nationally celebrated series on PBS that has been recognized for the second season in a row with three major wins at the 2025 Telly Awards. The show shines light on success stories of families receiving support through Columbus Works.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing free tuition-funded tech and skilled-trade workforce training with wraparound supports; directly comparable to Columbus Works as a free, cohort-based, employer-connected training program for adults facing barriers to employment.
• Year Up: Workforce development nonprofit that combines skills training, wraparound supports, and employer partnerships to move young adults into sustainable jobs; highly comparable in mission, employer-partner model, and barrier-removal services.
• SER National (Jobs for Progress): National nonprofit providing workforce development, job placement, and education services to underserved communities; directly comparable as a community-based, employer-connected employment program serving similar populations.

Broad incumbents

• Goodwill Industries International: National umbrella organization for the network of local Goodwills (including Goodwill Columbus); provides the overarching brand, mission, and operational model under which Columbus Works operates, with mission-aligned workforce programs across the country.
• ResCare / BrightSpring Health Services: Large provider of vocational rehabilitation, job coaching, and employment services for individuals with disabilities and barriers to employment; comparable in serving barriered populations through structured employment programs.
• Catholic Charities USA: Large national nonprofit network providing social services including employment support, housing, and family services; comparable as a wraparound, community-based social services provider with employment programs.

Regional players

• OhioMeansJobs: Ohio's public workforce development system, where Columbus Works alumnus Jose Feliciano previously worked for a decade; the public-sector counterpart offering employment services to job seekers in the same Central Ohio geography.

Others

• United Way of Central Ohio: Regional funder and convener for social services in Central Ohio; an ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but shares donor-base overlap and often co-funds programs like Columbus Works.
• National Skills Coalition: Policy and advocacy organization advancing workforce skills and equity; comparable as an ecosystem participant shaping funding and policy for programs like Columbus Works rather than delivering direct services.
• American Job Centers (USDOL network): Federally funded public employment service network providing job search, training referrals, and wraparound supports; comparable in function as a free, government-backed job-readiness resource that may partner with or compete for participants alongside Columbus Works.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Columbus_Works
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GoodwillColumbus1
• Facebookfacebook.com/GoodwillColumbus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goodwill-columbus
• Instagraminstagram.com/goodwillcolumbus

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Columbus Works