The Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center is fortunate to have partner support and services from EMERGE, Hennepin County Workforce Development, Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, and the City of Minneapolis.

EMERGE Community Development provides  intake, assessment, job search/career exploration, employment counseling, job development, job placements, remedial education referrals and support (GED), and case management services to youth and adult job seekers in the neighborhood.

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Hennepin County Workforce Development helps oversee the employment aspect of the Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center and assists with recruitment of employer partners. Hennepin County Workforce Development engages and assesses the needs of participating employer representatives and communicates the expectations of employers who wish to interview and/or hire onsite.

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Hennepin County Library is vital to the integrated approach of the Opportunity Center. The library partners with other organizations to build enthusiasm, spark ideas, and develop skills that support career pathways for youth in the Cedar-Riverside community.

Library programming in the center includes employment information and experiences:

  • Teen Tech Squad – a team of paid teen workers lead their peers in technology-based, maker workshops to increase skills and develop creative problem solving

  • Instruction in library resources that support the building of job skills

  • Employment focused learning circles on interview preparation

The library also supports culturally responsive heritage programming.

Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC) assists Cedar-Riverside residents between the ages of 16 and 24 who are either prospective college students or job seekers. MCTC assists these individuals by providing information on options available for higher education or workforce skills training at MCTC and the other 36 colleges and universities who are part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. 

MCTC contributes to the work of the Center's other partners by providing information technology hardware that allows Center users to complete real-time searches for available jobs, and by providing MCTC College-Work Study students to staff the Center.

The City of Minneapolis coordinates services in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood through community engagement and collaboration under the leadership of Saeed Bihi, Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center Manager. The focus is to connect community members with access to training and employment services that lead to economic prosperity.

The City facilitates relationships between employers, educators, and community partners to offer tools and resources that develop career pathway services and direct access to skill-building opportunities. The Center will bring employers to the community and offer real-time access to jobs and opportunity