Located in Ithaca, New York, Challenge Workforce Solutions is a non-profit organization that has been creating pathways to employment for people with disabilities and other barriers since 1968.

Robert Sprole Sr. founded Challenge in November 1968 as a sheltered workshop with 13 participants within the walls of his manufacturing business, Therm Inc. From these humble beginnings, Sprole’s vision of a truly inclusive workforce has continued to manifest: today, all Challenge services are provided in integrated community-based settings. We serve over 400 individuals a year, developing employment, training and assessment opportunities with more than 150 local employers.

There is no typical Challenge client. The folks we support all receive person-centered planning services designed to leverage their unique talents and help them overcome their own barriers.

Likewise, Challenge’s programs range widely—from pre-vocational services, which offer training and experience in general work skills, to direct placement, which provides job-seekers with the tools and supports to secure full-time employment with opportunity for career advancement. Each of these programs is highly personalized to best support participants in forging their own paths to greater self-sufficiency.

Challenge also advances its mission through Contract Staffing, which provides service to large dining hall operations while offering on-the-job training and career paths to people with barriers to employment.

In 2021, Challenge formed an alliance with Mozaic, another regional nonprofit. With over a century of combined service to thousands of individuals across the Finger Lakes region of New York, Challenge and Mozaic have long shared a common commitment: building one strong community where people with varying abilities and barriers gain independence and become an integral part of society. This alliance positions both agencies to offer a more robust array of person-centered, community-integrated services to an expanded geographical area while promoting fiscal sustainability and opening up new avenues for innovation.