“Empowering Children and Communities for a Brighter Tomorrow”
Somerset Academy Inc.
is dedicated to supporting the development of child-centered, individualized, and developmentally appropriate educational programs. Our mission extends to children of all ages, their families, and the wider community. We believe in fostering environments that ignite curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning, underpinned by our core values of inclusion, diversity, and respect.
Operation Peace: Workforce Development as Crime Prevention
Our Mission
Operation Peace is a workforce development and crime prevention initiative powered by Somerset Academy Inc. that addresses violence at its root cause—lack of economic opportunity. We believe that when young people have access to real career pathways, living-wage jobs, and meaningful skills training, they choose futures over firearms and careers over conflict. Through strategic partnerships with three industry-leading training organizations, Operation Peace provides justice-involved youth and at-risk young adults ages 16-36 with hands-on training in high-demand trades. This isn’t about temporary jobs or surface-level intervention—this is about building sustainable careers in construction, logistics, and emerging technology sectors where skilled workers are desperately needed and well-compensated. Our participants gain industry certifications, union apprenticeship opportunities, and direct pathways to family-sustaining employment. Every graduate who earns a certification is one less person vulnerable to street violence. Every apprenticeship secured is one more family lifted toward economic stability. Every career launched represents a community made safer not through policing, but through possibility.
Our Approach: Breaking Cycles, Building Futures
Our Training Partners
Operation Peace succeeds through collaboration with three proven training organizations that provide industry-recognized certifications and direct connections to employers. The Sam Staten, Sr. Pre-Apprenticeship Program of Laborers’ Local 332 offers comprehensive building trades training in carpentry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, masonry, and ironwork—preparing participants for union apprenticeships earning $20-40+ per hour with full benefits. OIC Montgomery County provides forklift operator certification training that opens doors to warehousing, distribution, and logistics careers starting at $17-22 per hour with clear paths to supervisory roles. Goddess of Drones, founded by Shari Williams—one of the first Black female commercial drone pilots in the United States—delivers FAA Part 107 certification preparation through the signature “Shut Up and Fly” program, launching careers in the rapidly expanding drone industry with earning potential of $40,000-75,000+ annually. Each partner brings decades of workforce development expertise, strong employer relationships, and proven track records of placing graduates in quality jobs.
The Impact We're Making
Our Impact
Operation Peace proves that workforce development is crime prevention. Research consistently shows that living-wage employment reduces recidivism by 50-70%, that career pathways provide purpose and identity that protect against violence, and that neighborhoods with higher employment rates experience dramatically lower rates of gun violence. We’re not just managing the symptoms of poverty—we’re attacking the underlying conditions that create desperation. When a young person can earn $60,000 annually as a skilled tradesperson, the economics of street life no longer make sense. When someone has apprenticeship opportunities worth protecting, conflict carries real consequences. Our goal is that 75% of participants complete training, 65% secure employment within 90 days, and 80% of those employed retain jobs for 6+ months. These aren’t just statistics—they represent transformed individual lives and strengthened communities. Every Operation Peace graduate working a union construction job, operating forklifts at a distribution center, or piloting drones for commercial clients is proof that investing in people’s potential creates safer streets and stronger futures.
What clients say about us
Discover the transformative experiences and heartfelt testimonials of our clients, reflecting the profound impact Somerset Academy Inc has had on families, communities, and individuals.