Employment Skills Center

What Employment Skills Center does

Employment Skills Center (ESC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit adult education and workforce development organization headquartered at 29 South Hanover Street, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1967 as the Carlisle Area OIC as part of Reverend Dr. Leon Sullivan's national Opportunities Industrialization Center movement, the organization has operated continuously for 58 years, was renamed Employment Skills Center in 2007 to better reflect its mission of preparing adults for employment through education and training, and currently serves more than 500 adult learners annually (over 20,000 cumulative since 1967) across Southcentral Pennsylvania.

ESC's program portfolio spans foundational education — Adult Basic Education, GED preparation, ESL, and Computer/Digital Literacy training — and occupational skills training including pre-clinical Nurse Aide, Forklift, Community Health Worker, and Environmental Technician programs. Instruction is delivered primarily in person at the Carlisle facility by a staff of roughly 20–25 paid instructors, program coordinators, and administrators, supported by a volunteer Board of Directors. The organization holds a Pennsylvania Department of Education license (since 1987) and has received PA DOE contracts for Adult Literacy, Adult Basic Education, GED preparation, and Workforce Literacy instruction (the latter previously delivered onsite at C.H. Masland & Sons).

The revenue model is a community nonprofit structure with no equity, debt, or venture capital. Funding comes from a diversified mix of foundation grants (The Partnership for Better Health, M&T Charitable Foundation, Whitaker Foundation), state contracts (PA Department of Education), United Way of Carlisle & Cumberland County allocations, individual donations, corporate sponsorships (UPMC, GEODIS, Vitro Architectural Glass, Pennoni, Orrstown Bank), and community fundraising events including Buck a Book, Carlisle Downtown Mile, and Match Madness. The organization has no proprietary technology platform, no app, no public API, and no AI/ML components in its product set; differentiated value derives from credentialed instruction, employer and workforce-system relationships, and 58 years of community trust.

Name

Employment Skills Center

Legal name

Employment Skills Center

Website

https://employmentskillscenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Employment Skills Center is a Carlisle, Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1967 that delivers adult basic education, GED, ESL, digital literacy, and occupational training (Nurse Aide, Forklift, Community Health Worker) to more than 500 adult learners annually across Southcentral Pennsylvania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Education and Workforce Training

NAICS

Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Computer Training (611420), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Community College / Training Provider Workforce Pathways Programs (EDAAAOAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF), Workforce & Job-Seeker Services (Community-Based) (EDAAAFAM), Interviewing & Selection Skills (Behavioral, Technical, Assessment Centers) (EDAAAKAD)

Keywords

• Adult basic education
• GED preparation training
• ESL English language classes
• Workforce development training
• Nurse aide certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlisle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Core offering

Employment Skills Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit adult education and workforce development provider offering Adult Basic Education, GED preparation, ESL, computer/digital literacy, nurse aide, forklift, community health worker, and environmental technician training to adult learners in Southcentral Pennsylvania. Programs are delivered at its Carlisle training facility and are accompanied by counseling, tutoring, and job placement support, with tuition largely subsidized through grants, donations, and scholarships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adult Basic Education Foundational literacy and numeracy instruction for adult learners who need to build basic reading, writing, and math skills, preparing them for GED study, employment, or further training. Offered at the Carlisle, PA facility to adult residents of Southcentral Pennsylvania.
• GED Program Preparation for the GED high school equivalency exam, taught under PA Department of Education contracts to adult learners seeking a high school credential for employment or post-secondary education.
• ESL Program English-as-a-Second-Language instruction for adult non-native speakers, offered in day and evening formats to improve English proficiency for work, community life, and further education.
• Computer Training Digital literacy and computer skills training (including Microsoft Office workshops) delivered through computerized learning labs, preparing adult learners for workplace technology requirements.
• Nurse Aide Training Pre-clinical nurse aide training program preparing adult learners for entry-level healthcare positions in response to regional demand for qualified healthcare workers.
• Forklift Training Operator certification training for adult learners seeking employment in warehousing, logistics, and manufacturing roles requiring forklift operation.
• Community Health Worker Training Training program preparing adult learners for community health worker roles, supporting entry into the growing community health workforce.
• Environmental Technician Training Training program preparing adult learners for environmental technician roles in the regional environmental industry.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• SCPa Works: Southcentral PA workforce development board that funds and coordinates regional training programs - referenced as an ESC community partner and a key channel for regional workforce funding flows.
• United Way of Carlisle & Cumberland County: Local United Way affiliate and listed ESC community partner; provides grant funding and convenes nonprofit workforce and education providers in the same service area.
• Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation: Local economic development organization working with employers and workforce partners in Cumberland County; adjacent ecosystem player supporting the same employer base ESC serves.

Direct peers

• Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free technology and workforce training to adults from underserved communities; aligned mission on adult career-readiness training and employer placement outcomes.
• Literacy Pittsburgh: Western PA nonprofit providing adult literacy, ESL, and workforce skills training to adult learners; directly comparable as a community-based adult education nonprofit serving a defined Pennsylvania region.
• Year Up: National workforce development nonprofit offering training, mentorship, and corporate internships to young adults - comparable program structure combining skills training with employer connections.
• Jewish Vocational Service (JVS): Workforce development nonprofit offering adult education, career training, and job placement services - directly comparable model as a community-based nonprofit serving adult job seekers.
• Harrisburg Area Community College: Nearby community college offering adult literacy, GED prep, ESL, and workforce credentials across the same Southcentral PA region; directly competes for adult learner enrollment and employer-sponsored training contracts.
• PA CareerLink: State-run workforce development network offering job seeker services, training referrals, and career counseling across PA counties - overlapping with ESC's workforce readiness and job placement mission.

Regional players

• Goodwill of the Chesapeake: Regional Goodwill operating workforce development, job training, and adult education programs across south-central PA; comparable mission and nonprofit funding model, though broader geographic scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ESCCarlisle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/employment-skills-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Employment Skills Center