The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) serves as the public workforce agency for the City of St. Louis, helping residents prepare for meaningful careers while connecting employers with workforce solutions that strengthen the region's economy. For more than 50 years, the organization has remained focused on a simple but enduring mission: creating opportunities that change lives while strengthening the community it serves.
That mission comes to life through a wide range of workforce programs and services. From career coaching, skills training, and supportive resources for job seekers to business services that help employers recruit, develop, and retain talent, SLATE works across every stage of the workforce journey. Whether helping a young adult prepare for a first job, supporting an individual pursuing new skills after a career transition, or partnering with businesses to meet workforce needs, the organization approaches workforce development as a long-term investment in people.
That philosophy is reflected throughout SLATE's work.
Young adults gain their first work experiences through initiatives like the Youth Empowerment Program and YouthBuild, where young job seekers receive career guidance, paid work experiences, mentorship, and the support needed to take meaningful steps toward long-term employment. Adults seeking new opportunities receive individualized career services, training, and connections to employers across high-demand industries. Businesses, in turn, gain access to recruitment assistance, workforce training resources, labor market information, and qualified talent prepared to meet their evolving workforce needs.
The common thread is partnership.
SLATE works alongside employers, educators, community organizations, government agencies, and workforce professionals to create opportunities that no single organization could accomplish alone. By combining practical support with strong employer engagement and community collaboration, SLATE helps build a workforce system that benefits individuals, businesses, and the region as a whole.
That collaborative spirit is one reason SLATE has remained a trusted community workforce partner for generations.
It also makes Executive Director Connie Johnson's journey especially meaningful.
Long before leading the organization, Johnson experienced SLATE's impact firsthand. As a young person growing up in St. Louis, her first job came through a SLATE youth employment program, providing not only income for her family but valuable work experience that helped shape her future. Decades later, after building a distinguished career in law, public service, and higher education, she returned to lead the very organization that first opened a door for her.
Her story illustrates something larger than an individual career journey. It demonstrates the lasting impact workforce development can have when communities invest in people early, provide meaningful opportunities, and continue building pathways to success.
Today, that same commitment guides SLATE's work across every stage of the workforce journey. Whether helping a young adult gain confidence through a first work experience, supporting an individual pursuing new skills after a career transition, or partnering with employers to meet workforce needs, the organization remains focused on creating opportunities that strengthen both people and the community they call home.
SLATE's story is a reminder that workforce development is measured not only by immediate outcomes, but by the lives changed over time. Sometimes those investments lead to a first job. Sometimes they lead to a new career. And sometimes, years later, they inspire someone to return and help create those same opportunities for the next generation.
