KC nonprofit helps low-income earners get high-paying jobs. Meet Great Jobs KC
Only about 65% of entry-level jobs offer livable wages in the Kansas City metro, according to a recent NetCredit analysis.
So one Kansas City organization is stepping up with solutions.
Great Jobs KC, a local nonprofit focused on workforce development, is helping youths and those from low-income households break into higher-wage careers through education, training, and support.
Funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the organization launched in September 2016 before changing their name to Great Jobs KC in 2023 after expanding to include a tuition-free job training program to better reflect their overall mission of getting people into family-sustaining jobs either through obtaining a college degree or a short-term training credential.
In 2022, CEO and founder of the nonprofit organization Summer Advantage USA, Earl Martin Phalen, took over as CEO for the local establishment.
Last March, Phalen ended his 9 year journey on the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Board. After visiting the metro quarterly for nearly a decade, he decided to make some changes for low to moderate income households in the area, including helping students get college scholarships and helping adults choose new career paths.
“I was amazed that I had gone to all these conferences nationally where we’re working with and finally helping our kids get to college, but our kids weren’t succeeding in college,” said Phalen.
“We have a 73% graduate rate amongst first generation students which is above the national average, so I was incredibly impressed by the impact that it was having. Not just size, but the results that it was achieving.”
When the board chair for the Kauffman Foundation at the time, Janice Kreamer, reached out to Phalen about starting a program in Kansas City, he was thrilled to create a project with an organization he loves.
“She (Kreamer) told me, ‘Earl, we want you to bring a workforce program to this organization because we know that half of high school students aren’t choosing college. Let’s support them on that journey to a better career. We need something to help them achieve economic stability and prosperity’” said Phalen.
“I love the organization’s mission and its focus on scholarships, but I also love the broadening view that some people choose college and some people are going to choose a credential and it’s going to get a good paying job right out of high school.”
An inside look
As a workshop facilitator for over a year and a half, Donald Jones III serves as one of many resources that individuals who attend Great Jobs KC workshops need.
“Each scholar is required to undergo a workshop series, a series of four workshops that cover life skills, professional skills and career skills,” said Jones. “Every single scholar that comes through our program spends four weeks with us before moving into their space of specified training and development.”
Workshop first-timer Zachary Wisley Johnson stated he decided to give Great Jobs KC a try because he is pursuing a career rather than a job.
“I felt like my whole area of work was scamming me of some kind of material,” said Johnson. “I want a career, not just a job.”
Over the course of four weeks, the workshops cover various topics such as time, money and stress management, workspace scenarios and creating a resume, preparing attendees for the workforce with a heavy focus on mentality.
“We start our entire workshop series with a conversation about the mindset, the power of your mindset and how that’s your most powerful tool,” said Jones. “Your mindset is the most primary determinant of your life experience. We want to set expectations here and for you to be in a job in a sustainable way. With this program, people understand the process of new careers. No one is being blindsided by greater expectations or performance than what is required.”
According to career readiness manager Ebony Rivera, the nonprofit is providing information, skills and resources that employers in various fields will look for, further increasing individuals chances of getting a high-paying career.
“A lot of what we cover in the workshops are things that we feel like a lot of employers are missing from the employee pool that they have right now,” said Rivera. This includes soft skills such as time management, problem-solving and working together in the workforce.
Michael Enos, a first time attendee of the workshops, told The Star he decided to join Great Jobs KC after seeing first-hand the positive impact it has had.
“My wife just completed the CNA program here and she had an amazing experience,” said Enos. “Coming here, it’s a way for me to kind of branch into something different than what I do that can fit me better through the rest of my life.”
The success of Great Jobs KC can be seen in the numbers, according to director of communications Kate Crockett, who shared how the program has impacted the community since launching in 2016.
“Our unemployed scholars are going to have an increase in income of upwards of $24,000. Our employed scholars are having a salary increase of about $16,000,” said Crockett. “If you think about the living wage of Kansas City today and if we’re able to boost scholars into making 16 to 24,000 more, we’re having a great impact.
“We’re impacting the community on a grander scale. We offer options. We offer people the opportunity to advance in life and their career, whichever path is right for them. If it’s college, great if it’s not, that’s what Great Jobs KC is here for, for all the people that college isn’t a fit for.”
Applications to attend Great Jobs KC workshops are always open for the public with limited restrictions. To find out more, visit greatjobskc.org.
This story was originally published July 10, 2025 at 10:18 AM.
