The Ri Welcome Back Center company information, Employees & Contact Information

The Rhode Island Welcome Back Center (RIWBC) was founded in June 2008 as a state adult education initiative that serves an unusual population identified in RI’s Strategic Workforce Plan, 2009-2014: a highly skilled, underemployed, low-wage earning adult. This person is the internationally trained professional who is seeking to use his or her skills in a higher level occupation. Until the RIWBC was founded, this population was largely invisible and underserved. Today, the RIWBC is providing resources for more than 400 professionals in Rhode Island. To help internationally trained professionals re-enter their fields in the local workforce, the RIWBC provides a comprehensive continuum of services that includes career pathway planning and employer networking, English language instruction contextualized for health, re-credentialing and licensing support, employer-based clinical exposure and internship opportunities, acculturation to the U.S. healthcare system, and tutoring and study groups to ensure licensing exam preparation. According to a Providence Journal article, out of an estimated 6.7 million college-educated immigrants living in the United States, 1.2 million are underemployed and another 350,000 are unemployed. These statistics reflect a growing trend of “brain waste”—a term referring to high-skilled, internationally educated professionals who are unable to enter their field after moving to the United States due to language barriers, lack of networking resources, and different credentialing requirements. The RIWBC is the only program in the state—and one of only ten in the country—providing services tailored to help internationally educated health professionals address these barriers and find employment in their fields of expertise. Of those we serve, 40% are unemployed and 45% work in factory, food service, or retail jobs. We connect community assets with community needs.