Wutabon aims to change the status quo of the social services sector by providing immigrant workforces and onsite employee assistance services to organizations that wish to expand their impact on the immigrant workforce community. Wutabon, now an independent nonprofit, was initially formed as a for-profit subsidiary of QARI (Quincy Asian Resources, Inc.) in 2021 to provide employment pathways and wraparound support for immigrants and refugees.
Wutabon’s service delivery model meets both employer and worker needs, covering recruitment, new hire onboarding, training, onsite social services, and adult education programs, along with timely intervention for at-risk employees to increase overall retention, morale, and productivity. Wutabon contracts with employer partners to screen, hire, train, and place immigrant and refugee employees in vacancies at the partners’ worksites. The organization also brings wraparound social services and educational programs to the workplace, meeting the immigrant workforce community where they are or working with them virtually. The ESOL and Social Services Ambassador visits each worksite on a weekly basis so that they can provide social services assistance and basic or beginner-level English and citizenship classes to the employees at their workplace during breaks or in the time before and after shifts.
Wutabon has made history by being the first nonprofit organization in the country to partner with Amazon for its Delivery Service Partner (DSP) Program.
Since 2021, it has expanded its partnerships to include other industry leaders such as Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth, Boston College, and Claremont Co. (Hilton and Marriott franchises). In its first year, Wutabon assisted nearly 280 immigrants in securing employment and currently employs over 100 individuals full-time through workforce partnerships.
Wutabon aims to expand the reach and enhance the quality of its existing programs to meet the growing demands of the immigrant workforce and its employer partners. The organization seeks to diversify the sectors and job types offered through its partnerships by introducing new technical training pathways. Wutabon is currently working on a MassSTEP culinary skills training program in partnership with Randolph Community Partnership Inc. and is also working to launch a hospitality training program with Quincy College. These training programs include integrated ESOL classes to support immigrants in improving their English proficiency related to the relevant industry sector, as well as wraparound social services to address student barriers to training retention and completion. These initiatives are designed to train immigrants and refugees for high-quality jobs with enhanced opportunities for career advancement.