Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development

With help from the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD), the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis opened the Save Our Sons South St. Louis Office this afternoon in a continued effort to create jobs for Black males who are underemployed or unemployed.

The new location at 2626 Cherokee Street will assist the Urban League of St. Louis in providing the South St. Louis area a place for Black males to obtain education and job training that will help them be successful in the workplace. A grand opening event was held to celebrate the new location. The Urban League of St. Louis has eight locations, including the Agency Headquarters at 1408 N. Kingshighway Blvd.

The Save Our Sons South Office is one of five offices that includes an Urban Closet, where clients can access clothing to wear during job interviews.

The new location is a partnership between MDHEWD and the Urban League of St. Louis to expand operations of the Save Our Sons and Save Our Sisters Workforce Development programs.

"The success of Save Our Sons is due in large part to our valuable partners, starting with Director Mardy Leathers and his team at the Missouri Office of Workforce Development," said Michael P. McMillan, President and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. "Together we are creating a regional system that delivers in-demand programs and services that benefit those seeking employment and career advancement while meeting the needs of our metro St. Louis employer partners."

Save Our Sons helps participants obtain postsecondary education and job training. Its curriculum teaches career skills and work ethic, including how to find a job, how to keep a job, how to get promoted, and how to remain marketable in the workplace. The Save Our Sisters program provides employment, training, and mentorship to women as they work to improve in financial management, career readiness, entrepreneurship, and being a caregiver.

“These programs are valued in workforce development in Missouri because they provide employment to those from all walks of life, which will help reduce poverty levels,” Dr. Mardy Leathers, director of the Office of Workforce Development said. “We want to help Missourians obtain employment and stay in the workforce. This program is helping to create those valuable opportunities.”

This partnership is also helping MDHEWD work toward goals in its strategic plan, which includes a goal of being the best in the Midwest in educational attainment and workforce participation by 2030, as well as pursuing equity in education. Part of that plan is for all groups of people to reach the mark of 60 percent in receiving at least an associate degree or certification beyond high school. Currently, 28.4 percent of Missouri’s Black population have reached that level of education.

For more information on Save Our Sons, visit https://www.ulstl.com/sos---save-our-sons or call 314-626-9977.