Abstract
Work integration social enterprises (WISEs) create jobs through business ventures that function as locations for job training and employment of disadvantaged workers. Although such employment-based poverty interventions have proliferated over the past 20 years, very little systematic research has been done on WISEs in the United States. Analyzing a national database of WISEs, this article provides a snapshot of the industries where WISEs are active and the jobs associated with those industries. Triangulating these findings with results from a small pilot study, the article explores the employment conditions for client-workers and the strategies WISEs take to add value to the work experience to understand how WISEs attempt to create better working conditions for low-skill, disadvantaged workers. The article concludes with discussion of the promise and potential limitations of the WISE model for workforce development.
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