Propel and Pathways: LRI’s Fresh Vision for Early Career Rhode Islanders

As the curtain drops on College Leadership Rhode Island, ending its 20-year run, two new programs for young adults are waiting in the wings, both to debut in 2025.

Propel, the first new program, will address the needs of those who are in the early stages of their careers. They will get foundational tools, advice and resources to help them thrive and excel in the workplace.

Recruiting participants for the inaugural Propel program is beginning soon in anticipation of a launch in February.

The second program, Pathways, will cater to high school graduates, perhaps working part time or enrolled in a training program, but still  wrestling with what they really want to do as a career.  They will be guided in developing clear career goals that incorporate their interests and strengths. Participants also will learn what steps they should take to achieve their goals.  Pathways will start in the fall of 2025.

The 20th anniversary of CLRI presented “a great moment, a natural moment, for our program to evolve to reflect changes among our young people and in the workplace and our communities,” explains Teresa DeFlitch, LRI’s director of leadership development.

“All the changes we are making,“ she says, “address the current needs of young Rhode Islanders as they become workplace and community leaders.”

LRI created CLRI in 2004 by offering 25 undergraduates from ten local colleges and universities an opportunity to learn about job opportunities, civic life and community engagement in the business, public and nonprofit sectors. The experience involved four half-day sessions.

Over the years, the program grew substantially in size, length and content, allowing more time to cover networking opportunities, strengths awareness, interviewing skills, and even wellbeing.  By 2018-2019, the program had expanded to eight full-day sessions during the academic year. Eligibility was extended to college graduates up to age 26.  There are more than 500 CLRI alumni.

In recent years, however, DeFlitch and staff have encountered recruitment and retention challenges. Some institutions now provide experiences similar to those offered through CLRI.  Also, demanding class schedules have made it increasingly difficult for students to find the time necessary for an off-campus program.

Still, many of the state’s young adults – those between 18 and 27 years old – need support and new skills “now more than ever,” as the world has become more complex and the workplace is in flux, DeFlitch says.

The Covid pandemic forced many to work from home. The isolation, she says, led to a decline in social skills that young employees usually acquire through regular interactions in the office.

The pandemic eventually passed, but, in many instances, the traditional workplace did not re-emerge.  Working remotely or splitting time between the office and home are now common, creating the need to learn new ways to maneuver, to be productive, and to absorb the flow of new information from their supervisors.

Achieving a work-life balance that benefits both employers and employees has emerged as a front-burner concern.

Also, in Rhode Island and elsewhere, the workforce is more diverse, with employees from different backgrounds, experiences and cultures. Adding to that is the growth of multi-generational workforces which mix employees of different ages, work histories and perspectives.

Aware of the depth and breadth of change, DeFlitch reached out to CLRI’s loyal sponsors to explain the need to rethink how LRI can best serve young people.

Sponsors, who have been essential to keeping CLRI a tuition-free program, include Papitto Opportunity Connection, Amica Companies Foundation, Ting Barnard, 2015 Lambda II, and Ian Barnard, 2017 Nu II,  Maryann and John Mulattieri, 2009 Epsilon II, the PPL Foundation, Navigant Credit Union, and The Ram Lal Seekri Endowment.

That session was followed by a series of seven separate “feedback sessions” drawing a mix of LRI and CLRI alumni, employers, education professionals, human resource and training professionals. Participants were asked to imagine what serving a broader population of young people beyond college students could look like.

CLRI “jump-started my career,” says Ashley G. O’Shea, who was a senior at Roger Williams University when, in 2006, she became one of the program’s early participants. She says the connections she made and the skills she learned through CLRI helped her land her first job in communications at Citizens Bank.

Eighteen years later, O’Shea, the Director of Strategic Communications for the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services,  says her participation in a feedback session convinced her that serving new categories of young adults is the way to go.

“We came to understand that CLRI needed to evolve with changes in the workplace,” she says. “The changes are all about equity.”

 Veronicka Vega, a graduate of what turned out to be CLRI’s final class in the 2023-2024 academic year, describes her experience as transformative.

“I learned a lot about myself through the self-assessments, discussions, and the Clifton Strengths sessions. I realized that I want to pursue a career in the non-profit sector and that I possess leadership skills,” she says.

But, she, too, sees the benefits of serving different cohorts and thinks that LRI will attract a more diverse group of applicants.  “I love that the Pathways program mentions people in the trades because I often feel like they’re left out of spaces where they could offer a lot of insight and different experiences.”

Vega, who recently became the coordinator of construction management for the non-profit Providence Revolving Fund, is also in her last semester at Johnson & Wales University where she is a candidate for a degree in public health.

Bill Fitzgerald 2018 Xi II, a vice president at Amica Mutual Insurance Co., which is a long-time financial sponsor of CLRI, also sees the need to reach young people early in their careers.

The changes, he says, will better equip “future leaders to take up the challenges of a changing corporate environment.” He adds that another goal of refocusing is to spark a sense of enjoyment or passion among young people in whatever work they are doing.

DeFlitch and her leadership development staff analyzed the wealth of information and comments from the feedback sessions to use as a guide for developing the two new programs. The most frequently mentioned themes:  financial literacy, building relationships, navigating a multi-generational workforce, mental health, making connections, communication skills, knowledge of resources, organizational skills, Rhode Island connections, work-life balance and career growth.

Dennis Leamy LRI 2013 Iota II, senior innovation manager at Amica, reasons that the focus is changing but not the mission. “LRI wants to be the bridge between where an individual is to where they want to go, including participating in and supporting the community.”

“LRI,” he adds, “will continue to be part of the solution to making Rhode Island a better place to live and work.”

With the two tracks scheduled to kick off next year, DeFlitch and staff are engaged in developing two programs, dual recruiting strategies and two sets of determinants for success.

“We are super excited about these programs and how they will be more strategic and help more young people be successful,” DeFlitch says.