Detroit, Michigan, October 22, 2026: Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) is partnering with the Detroit at Work (DAW) workforce system for the fifth year of a multi-year effort to strengthen trauma-informed and resilience-building practices across Detroit’s workforce development system. Detroit at Work, powered by Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation (DESC), is the City of Detroit’s workforce development system, that includes seven career centers located throughout the city. CSW’s Trauma & Resilience at Work team provides subject matter expertise, training, facilitation, tools/resources, and implementation support to help Detroit at Work staff, managers, and leaders integrate trauma informed and resilience-building approaches into their work.
Now in its fifth year, the partnership reflects a sustained commitment to building trauma-informed and resilience-focused practices across Detroit’s workforce development system. Rather than approaching this work as a one-time training initiative, CSW and Detroit at Work have taken a multi-year approach that allows for continued learning, practical application, building internal capacity, and incorporating staff Ambassadors. The partnership began in 2021–2022 with Detroit at Work staff training and surveys. During Years 2 and 3, this work expanded to include continued staff learning, Career Center Manager coaching, assessments, and a greater emphasis on applying trauma-informed practices. This past year focused on strengthening internal capacity through a train-the-trainer approach and further developing the Trauma & Resilience Ambassador model.
This year’s focus is on embedding, expanding, and advancing the work. Building on previous years of shared learning and experience, CSW is collaborating with Detroit at Work and its Ambassadors to identify opportunities for deeper learning and practical application, shaping a program that responds to the evolving needs of the workforce system. In addition to expanding this work throughout all roles within Detroit’s workforce system, for the first time, the partnership will extend directly to Detroit at Work customers through resilience-building workshops and resources designed to support their well-being as they navigate employment and career pathways.
Central to this year’s work are three Trauma & Resilience Ambassador Advisory Groups focused on new staff, existing staff, and customers. The Ambassador model puts the knowledge and experiences of those closest to the work at the center of developing trauma-informed and resilience-building solutions. Through these groups, Ambassadors will identify needs, generate ideas, and work alongside CSW to co-design tools, resources, and workshops that reflect the realities of staff and customers. This collaborative, staff-driven approach builds internal capacity, strengthens shared ownership, and helps ensure that solutions are shaped by the people who will use them.
The work is taking place through July 2027 across seven Detroit at Work career centers throughout the city and with DESC administrative staff and leadership. Activities will include a combination of in-person and virtual training for staff, leadership engagement, customer workshops, advisory group meetings, and the piloting and development of new hands-on tools and resources.
Of the work, CSW’s President & CEO, Kysha Wright Frazier, stated, “One of the strengths of this partnership is that we’ve worked closely with DESC leaders, Career Center Managers, staff, and Ambassadors to learn what’s working and adjust our approach along the way. In this fifth year, we’re taking that work even further by engaging more deeply with staff and, for the first time, bringing customers directly into the work. This evolution reflects DESC’s continued commitment to learning from and investing in the people and communities they serve. We’re grateful for this partnership over the years and excited about what we’ll continue to build and accomplish together.”
“Our Detroit at Work team does important and demanding work every day by connecting residents to career opportunities, unemployment resources and supportive services,” said Stephanie Nixon, DESC’s Interim President. “Through our partnership with Corporations for a Skilled Workforce, our organization can continually deliver responsive, quality care to our customers. As we collaborate with CSW for the fifth consecutive year, we are continuing to build a workforce system that is informed and where care, resilience, and well-being are integrated in our work.
A Career Center Manager, Kafi Howard, noted “The Trauma & Resilience Ambassador training has been a transformative experience for our team. It has provided staff with practical tools to identify and address the effects of trauma, helping us better support our customers while also prioritizing our own well-being. This work has strengthened our commitment to creating a compassionate, resilient, and customer-centered environment.”
For questions about this work and information on partnering with our Trauma and Resilience at Work team, please contact Denean Pillar-Jackson at dpillar-jackson@skilledwork.org.
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