Special to the Independent
On Wednesday, March 25, Roca Chelsea hosted a Transitional Employment Program (TEP) Job Fair at its Chelsea site, bringing together motivated young people and a broad network of employer partners, staffing agencies, and workforce organizations. The event offered Roca participants a direct pathway to employment opportunities across industries including construction, transportation, environmental services, and more—sectors that have seen some of the fastest job growth in Massachusetts.
The job fair drew representatives from YouthBuild Boston, MassHire – Chelsea, Bridges for Returning Citizens, Community Family, MWRA, Labor Now, Express Labor, Wicked Staffing Solutions, EDA Staffing Agency, Advantage Labor Solutions, and Wash Cycle—a cross-sector network united by a shared commitment to expanding access to economic opportunity for young people who have faced significant barriers.
Young people who participated in the job fair have completed paid work experience through Roca’s Transitional Employment Program, where they work alongside supervisors in structured crews while simultaneously building the behavioral and emotional skills needed to thrive long-term in the workplace. Central to this preparation is Roca’s Rewire CBT model—an evidence-based cognitive behavioral approach that equips young people with tools to manage stress, regulate emotions, navigate conflict with coworkers or supervisors, and show up consistently even when life is hard.
“Getting a job is a milestone, but it’s not the finish line. What we’re really working toward is stability, and that requires a different kind of preparation. Through TEP, our young people have already put in hundreds of hours of real work. And through Rewire CBT, they’ve built the skills to handle the situations that often derail people. The job fair is an essential transition point where the skills our participants have worked so hard to build can really translate to opportunity,” said Cristian Morales, a Basic Needs Specialist at Roca.
For many of Roca’s young people, this event introduced new possibilities. “The job fair is opening my eyes to new things and opportunities. I didn’t know there was an adult day care center for example, so now I feel like I have options,” said Oscar, a Roca participant. Job seekers also reflected on how their time in TEP changed their outlook entirely: “I have learned a lot from Roca and they have prepared me for a future career by teaching me great work ethics. They have taught me to stay calm through any situation, stick with it, and act on my values. I also learned landscaping, how to use weed whackers, lawnmowers, backpack blowers, and more. Now I’m ready to work,” said TJ, a Roca participant.
What makes Roca’s participants stand out to employers is precisely what is hardest to teach: the ability to stay composed under pressure, to navigate difficult dynamics with a supervisor or colleague, and to keep showing up even when the circumstances of life make it tempting to walk away. Through hundreds of hours of paid work experience and consistent practice of Rewire CBT skills, Roca’s young people have already demonstrated what many employers spend years hoping to find in a new hire.
Employer partners who attended reflected on why they keep coming back. “I love having employees who come from Roca because they really care about what they do. They create such strong relationships and they value their work. It’s important to have young people like that,” said Kevin Barry, Program Director at The Community Family.
For many of the young people Roca serves, this job fair represents far more than a hiring event—it is a critical moment in a longer journey toward economic stability. Roca’s workforce development programming is designed to address the real and compounding barriers that have historically kept young people locked out of the labor market: involvement in the justice system, gaps in work history, and limited access to networks and resources for an effective job search. By connecting participants directly with employers who are prepared to offer real opportunities, Roca is working to dismantle those barriers in a comprehensive, evidence-based way.
Founded in 1988, Roca’s mission is to be a relentless force in disrupting incarceration, poverty, and racism by engaging the young adults, police, and systems at the center of urban violence in relationships to address trauma, find hope, and drive change.