Employer Profile  |  Arbor Education and Training

Who We Are

Arbor Education & Training is a leading provider of workforce development services nationwide. We serve jobseekers, current workers, and employers in urban, suburban, and rural locations throughout the country. Our company was founded in 1963 as the operations arm of a behavioral research organization. In 1968, Arbor was awarded a demonstration grant by the federal Department of Health, Education and Welfare to formulate an innovative training program for welfare mothers in Philadelphia. We still operate this program today.

Arbor gradually expanded from Philadelphia into neighboring counties to operate additional employment and training programs serving both youth and adults. We then replicated our approach to customizing our services to local needs within other states, and by 1987 had established several programs on the West Coast. During the 1990s, Arbor continued to experience steady growth. We now operate a sophisticated range of workforce development programs serving jobseekers and employers alike in over 50 locations nationwide. During this time span, which now approaches four decades, we have served welfare recipients from HEW’s very first efforts through the current welfare reform legislation, and have served a wide array of jobseekers and employers throughout the period of MDTA, CETA, JTPA, and now WIA legislation.

In 2003 we joined with ResCare, Inc., the nation’s largest human services company with staff in 33 states and Puerto Rico. This has greatly expanded our technical, fiscal, and human resource capabilities, allowing us to more fully serve local communities and the workforce development system nationwide.

Why We’re Unique

• Workforce development is our sole business.
• We customize our programs to meet local needs.
• Our Leadership Team is known and respected nationally.
• We actively support the continuous improvement of our nation’s workforce development system through the Arbor Workforce Institute.
• We have focused on quality since 1980; our Quality Group is dedicated to ensuring the integrity of the services we deliver.
• We have a long history of successful partnerships—both formal and informal—with local groups in the communities we serve. These partnerships have enabled us to provide an enhanced range of services for our customers.
• As an outside, nationally oriented organization, Arbor often serves as a neutral broker among the various training and service delivery agencies in a local labor market. Free from local conflicts of interest, Arbor can bring a fresh, success-focused approach to a community’s workforce program operations.

Our Mission

Arbor’s mission is to provide for every person we serve the opportunity to contribute to society through meaningful, gainful employment. As we continuously improve in fulfilling our mission, we serve job seekers, workers, and employers; we contribute to our country’s competitiveness in the global economy; and we gain personal satisfaction.