Bridges Winter 2025 Update

With help from his Bridges employment specialist, Jakobe was hired at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Hotel in September 2022 as a utility steward. Now 22, Jakobe is still working at the 641-room hotel, but these days he is a full-time food runner in two of the onsite restaurants, including Bentleys, an upscale steakhouse.

We recognized and celebrated Jakobe’s job advancement and employment longevity at our November 14th Bridges reception, where it was evident how much he has matured and grown as a young man.

Erik, a CBRE workplace experience supervisor, explained that he could not do his job without the help of Jacques: “I couldn’t be more pleased with his work performance,” Erik said. Erik affirms Jacques’ strengths while developing his skills and encouraging him to excel and grow. Erik was effusive when he told us that “Jacques is a major asset to the team, with keen powers of observation in identifying any safety hazards throughout the facility, though I want to see him to smile more. When Jacques smiles, he lights up the place.”

Before Bridges connected Jacques to employment at CBRE in Arlington, Virginia, and when he was still a high school student, his employment specialist helped Jacques get his first job at Forever 21 and two years later with government contractor Didlake. Over the four years he worked in those two jobs, Jacques, who is now 24, cultivated a strong work ethic and refined the interpersonal and customer service abilities he exhibited during our visit. Those early jobs were crucial for helping Jacques qualify for and succeed in his current role with CBRE.

For more information about CBRE, visit CBRE About Us.

For more information about the Microsoft Real Estate & Facilities Supported Employment Program, visit Diversity & Inclusion.

The Bridges leadership team pictured with Jacques on the rooftop of the Microsoft-CBRE offices in Arlington, Virginia

For our two newest Bridges programs, which operate in partnership with New York City Public Schools and Boston Public Schools, Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) are instrumental for increasing the number of youth we reach each year. Approximately 20% of Boston and New York City public school students have disabilities.

Unlike Bridges’ core workforce development services that culminate in employment and 12 months of post-hire follow up, Pre-ETS usually take place in traditional high school classroom settings with one or more instructors, whose job titles are pre-employment transition specialists.

To make sessions fun and interactive, pre-employment specialists guide students through role plays and incorporate games where they can compete for prizes: students love to play a game we call “Job Readiness Jeopardy.”

In 2024, nearly 700 students completed one or more Pre-ETS instructional sessions. The largest numbers of Pre-ETS participants are in New York City and Boston, but our programs in Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles also participate, though on a smaller scale.

Pre-ETS can be a useful tool for introducing younger students to Bridges. As Pre-ETS participants grow older, and when they begin their senior year, they can enroll in Bridges’ comprehensive workforce development services that lead to quality jobs with supportive employers.