bluegrass workforce investment act program

BLUEGRASS WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT PROGRAM
STAFF REPORT
August 2011 ACTIVITIES
9/15/2011
Business
Dashboard Summary
Service:
Job Orders
On-the-Job Training
Application Screenings
Comp. Assessment
Rapid Response
Job Fairs
Referrals Made
Companies:
126
7
9
6
4
1
12
Rapid Response
Clients:
N/A
N/A
294
186
86
50
394
Job Orders
The Business Services staff are actively working
with participants to secure employment with local
companies. As part of that assistance 126 new job orders
were posted.
On-the-Job Trainings
Seven new On-the-Job Training (OJT) contract
was developed in August for DY Industries, Lincoln
Manufacturing, Tin Man Manufacturing, 10th Planet,
Nextlife, E.D. Bullard, and Hamilton-Ryker.
Application Screenings
There are currently 9 companies utilizing
application screening: Square D, National Office
Furniture, Mine Shield, Denyo, Wausau Paper, Lincoln
Manufacturing, Tin Man Manufacturing, Meggitt Air
Braking, and Nextlife with 294 applications reviewed and
294 referrals made.
Computerized Assessments
Six employers utilized computerized assessments:
Toyota/Kelly Services, Square D, General Electric,
Wausau Paper, and E.D. Bullard with 186 assessments
administered through the various Career Center locations.
Trim Masters Inc of Nicholasville, KY was
determined Trade affected. Four separate sessions were
held on location in Nicholasville. The Workforce
Investment Act Program, Office for Employment and
Training, Jessamine County Health Department, Office
for Vocational Rehabilitation, and Department of Labor
were present at each Rapid Response session. All of
those in attendance scheduled a time to come to the
Danville Career Center for Trade Orientation. There
were a total of 86 in attendance during all four sessions.
Job Fairs
Upcoming Job Fairs: The Central Kentucky
Career Center is working in cooperation with Evergreen
Missionary Baptist Church to host a job fair at the
church on Saturday, September 17th from 10:00am until
1:00pm. The Mobile Career Center will be on-site to
provide a free resume writing workshop from 1:00pm
until 4:00pm on Friday, September 16th.
The Business Services Specialist in Georgetown
is also assisting with the planning of a job fair in
cooperation with the Paul Sawyer Library staff to take
place in November. More details will be reported upon
development.
Recent Job Fairs: Summer Bash 2011, a
community resource and job fair hosted by Job Corps in
partnership with the “Steppin’ to a New Beat” Program
and the Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board, was
held on Saturday, August 27th at Imani Baptist Church in
Lexington. The event provided informational booths
from area colleges, military and employment
opportunities.
Danville
Erica Sluder, the Business Services Specialist in
Danville, and staff met with Wausau Paper to discuss
testing of applicants, prior to holding a two-day on-site
testing at the Career Center in Danville for their
approved applicants. Wausau Paper has eight positions
to fill. For these positions more than 120 applications
were taken and 47 letters of invitation were mailed to
potential employees requesting they report to the Career
Center for testing. The testing included: teamwork,
engagement,
basic
industrial
math,
reading
comprehension, and safety in the workplace. Out of the
47 selected, 32 were in attendance the two days of
testing.
Georgetown
On August 2nd, Kevin Moore, the Business
Services Specialist in Georgetown met, with Paul
Sawyer Library staff in Frankfort to discuss assisting
with an upcoming job fair in November. On August 8 th
he attended a Chamber of Commerce luncheon in
Georgetown where Senator Rand Paul was the speaker.
On August 10th, he facilitated a resume writing workshop
at the Bluegrass Army Depot in Richmond. On August
16th, he met with Jamie Snapp, HR Manager of CMWA
(Central Light Allow Company) in Paris.
Kevin
attended Kentucky Institute for Economic Development
training on August 22nd – 25th at the Clarion Hotel in
Lexington.
Lexington
Todd Blanton, the Business Services Specialist
in Lexington attended the National Career Readiness
Certificate ceremony where participants from the
National Emergency Grant received their certificates.
The Business Services Specialist in Lexington and staff
met with representatives from JM Smuckers. The
outcome was an agreement to administer the WorkKeys
plus the Applied Technology test to all candidates that
received a referral from the Career Center. Todd
facilitated a hiring event and follow-up testing for GE at
the Embassy Suites in Lexington on August 29th and 31st.
Pictured:
Applicant
completing the
pre-hire
assessment on
August 29th for
the GE Hiring
Event. The
event was held
August 29th
and 31st at the
Embassy Suites
in Lexington.
Three Year Strategic Plan
The Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board has conducted several
workforce forums throughout the Bluegrass, gathering feedback from
local community organizations and businesses and has developed a
three year strategic plan.
The Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board
embarked upon developing a strategic planning process to
review the current operations and to better align itself with
the emerging needs of the Bluegrass Workforce
Investment Area. The three year strategic plan was
developed through a planning process that began in the
spring of 2011 and included an employer partner survey;
community forums; internal Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis; sector
strategy institute and two full-day strategic planning
sessions with the board. The purpose was to define the
goals, objectives, and strategies that would ensure a
workforce development system of utmost quality.
A special meeting of the Bluegrass Workforce
Investment Board was held on Tuesday, August 30th. The
draft of the Strategic Plan was presented to all members
for approval. The plan focuses on the Workforce
Investment System as continuing to be employer driven,
using regularly updated data to drive decision making and
to bridge the gap between employer needs and skills
available in the local workforce. Below is an outline of
the vision, mission and goals that is included in the plan.
Vision
The Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board
will be the visionary leader of workforce
solutions.
Mission
To develop proactive workforce partnerships:
“Connecting employers with employees.”
Goals
1. Develop a more visionary and engaged board.
2. Align the operations to better meet the needs of
the regional workforce community.
3. Align the Bluegrass Regional Workforce
Solutions with the top priority sectors:
Advanced Manufacturing, Information
Technology, Transportation, Healthcare.
4. Promote awareness of the Workforce Investment
System’s purpose, programs, and services.
The growth of the region’s workforce system
depends on the Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board’s
ability to be pro-active and effective. Through the
development, approval and implementation of the strategic
plan, the next step has been taken to ensure the continued
goal of innovation. Its success relies on continued support
and involvement of the Board, staff, regional partners, and
private sector employers in evaluating the progress and
recommending solutions for improvement. The Board
looks forward to creating new partnerships, improving
existing relationships and working together as a community
to coordinate resources, while developing new approaches
to workforce solutions in the Bluegrass Region.
Business Development
Business Services, headed by Bradlee Burtner has been working tirelessly
on developing new relationships with businesses in the Bluegrass
Region, as well as, increase the relationship with businesses currently
working with the BGWIB. This area highlights those efforts.
The meeting held on August 16th with CMWA and
the Business Services Specialist in Georgetown created
awareness of services offered through the Career Centers.
One area of concern was the difficulty in finding skilled
labor. CMWA expressed an interest in On-the-JobTraining
and Customized Training services. The Business Services
Specialist will continue to work with CMWA to develop a
plan to address their needs.
Pictured: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government
Commissioner of Social Services, Beth Mills addresses the group
of National Career Readiness Certificate recipients at a recent
the celebration held at the Central Kentucky Career Center in
Lexington on August 15th. .
National Emergency Grant
NEG’s are discretionary grants awarded to WIA to provide employment
related services for dislocated workers, temporarily expanding services
at state and local levels by providing time-limited funding assistance.
The Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board
received a National Emergency Grant (NEG) earlier in the
year to assist workers dislocated from Verizon, Jackson
Plastic, and Kmart.
The dislocated workers were
encouraged to attend job clubs to receive career counseling
services, career exploration, and skills assessment. Fortythree NEG participants took the Work Keys assessment to
receive their National Career Readiness Certificate
(NCRC).
On August 15th, the Lexington Career Center
hosted a NCRC Ceremony at the Career Center in
Lexington to recognize the 34 NEG clients who
successfully obtained their certificates. The Workforce
Investment Board chairman, Daryl Smith, and LexingtonFayette Urban County Government, Commissioner of
Social Services, Beth Mills, were both on hand to
congratulate the participants on their achievement and
encouraged them to utilize the resources available to them
through the grant. The grant funding continues through
June 2012 and the Workforce Specialists will continue to
assist the dislocated workers with finding employment and
entering training to gain the skills needed to obtain
employment.
Pictured: National Career Readiness Certificate recipients at the
recent the celebration held at the Central Kentucky Career Center
in Lexington on August 15th. .
Career Center
Danville
The Career Center in Danville held one resume
workshop during the month of August, where participants
took advantage of assistance with their resumes. At the
completion of the class all participants left with an
employer ready resume and the skills necessary to update
it as needed.
Frankfort
Resume classes were the focus of the Career
Center in Frankfort during the month of August. As a
service to the customers of the Career Center the staff of
the Workforce Investment Act program offers resume
classes every Thursday. During the month, 10 clients
utilized these services and received training on creating
and managing a resume. They were also given tips on
how to get their resume noticed by employers. Each
participant received an employer ready resume upon
completion of the class. In addition, The Veterans
Representative held a resume class specifically for
veterans. Seven veterans were provided training and
received resumes. The Office for Employment and
Training staff also held a General Education Diploma
(GED) workshop to assist individuals who need to obtain
a GED, during the last week of August.
Jana Reed, Regional Trade Coordinator, Brenda
Douglas, Representative from the Office for Employment
and Training, and Joey Lawhorn, Workforce Specialist
with the Workforce Investment Act program, began
planning for meetings to develop services directed at
assisting Trade customers. This group plans to meet
monthly to help Trade affected workers think of ways to
survive a job loss and offer solutions for how to find
employment. Initially the plan is to have the various
representatives of the Career Center speak at the meetings.
Georgetown
Partner’s discussed the Re-employment Eligibility
and Assessment Grant; a grant to help re-employ
Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants. The grant will
officially begin on September 1st and will last one year.
The Career Center will focus on delivering intensive case
management to 20 individuals per week, with each being
on a continuous plan to rejoin the workforce.
Raven Turner, a Recruiter for Job Corps will be
utilizing meeting space at the Career Center at least once
per month to meet with potential Job Corps students. The
first meeting will be held on September 21st.
The representative for the Office for Employment
and Training discussed new standards at the August
partners meeting. The new “Focus Career” system is no
longer rolling over new customers into the Employ
Kentucky Operating System (EKOS). The partners also
discussed the implementation of “WOW Wednesday”.
This will be implemented as a way to acknowledge
employees who demonstrate exceptional customer service.
Evelyn Martinez also began at the Career Center
in Georgetown, as the representative for the Farmworkers
Program.
This program provides work experience
opportunities, classroom and on-the-job training to
individuals that have been employed on a farm in the past
12 to 24 months for at least 25 days and earned at least
$800.00.
.
Lexington
For the month of August, the Career Center
provided assistance to 4,944 individuals, of those 497
visited the Job Search Room. In addition, our bilingual
staff member provided assistance to 11 Spanish speaking
individuals in need of assistance with job searches, filing
unemployment, or requesting a check.
Fifty-three
individuals inquired about the WIA program and watched
the orientation video. Resume classes continued for the
month of August with 6 individuals attending, each
receiving a completed employer ready resume at the end
of the class. Also during the month, 2 individuals tested
for the NCRC with one being eligible for a Gold
Certificate.
Currently the Workforce Specialists at the
Lexington Career Center are working with 94 active NEG
participants in job searching, resume writing,
interviewing, and skills training. As of the end of August,
8 participants have found employment. Some of the
participants needed assistance with upgrading their
computer skills and 35 completed training in Essential
Office Skills for Microsoft Office and several of them
have obtained certifications in Word, PowerPoint, and
Excel.
Seventeen participants also entered into various
other training programs including Medical Coding and
Billing, Medical Office Technology, Surgical Technology,
Nursing, Financial/Accounting Management, Industrial
Maintenance, Elementary Education, Medical Assisting,
Business Management and Healthcare Administration.
Staff from the Career Center in Lexington
attended the launch of the new resource website at the
Youth
CareerServices
Center
Lexington Senior Citizen's Center hosted by the Area
Agency on Aging to assist seniors and/or their families
to locate someone to assist them with their needs. WIA
staff assisted seniors on the computer to get them
registered on the website. WIA will help to be a
connection between job seekers and the seniors needing
assistance.
Richmond
In the month of August, the office served 2,336
individuals. Of those visiting the Career Center 12
watched the WIA orientation video, 140 conducted job
searches, and 85 requested services from the Office for
Vocational Rehabilitation.
Cole Insurance utilized the conference room at
the Career Center to hold interviews on August 25th and
26th. Ten individuals were interviewed, for 3 vacancies
for part-time Customer Service Representative.
At the August partners meeting A.J. Jones,
Office Manager, Office for Employment and Training
discussed his goal to shift the focus of the employment
services provided through the Career Center. His goal
is to develop stronger relationships with employers that
have higher paying, professional positions. His
examples included: Sherwin Williams and, Bechtel
Parsons. In order to implement this at least one staff
member per day will focus on employment services
only.
Lisa McCord and Amanda Blessing Job Corps
Representatives spoke regarding their services,
reminding the partners that the program focuses on
assisting individuals ages 16 – 24 in obtaining
employment and job search assistance. They will be
referring their clients to the Career Center for services
and utilizing the conference room for meetings.
EKU is considering adding the National Career
Readiness Certificate (NCRC) to their General
Education Diploma (GED) program. Madison County
Board of Education is also planning on utilizing the
NCRC for all graduates not considering college.
Robert Dalton, Veterans Representative,
informed the group that he will also be serving
Montgomery County. He provided information on an
upcoming job fair in Winchester at the Bluegrass
Community and Technical College campus. The job
fair will be on September 16th from 8:30-11:00. The
first hour of the job fair is for Veterans only. At the
time of the meeting 15 vendors had already committed
to attend including; Kentucky Higher Education
Authority (KHEA), Goodwill, Kentucky State Police,
and Job Corps.
Winchester
On August 25th, the partners of the Career Center
in Winchester, Diane Travis, Joey Lawhorn, James
Griffith and Patricia Baughman put on a Comprehensive
Re-Employment Seminar at the Bluegrass Community
and Technical College campus in Winchester. This
seminar educated clients on varying degrees of
employability related information, skills and tips,
including the National Career Readiness Certificate
(NCRC), grooming habits for a professional appearance
and workplace attitudes. Resume writing was also
available and Jason Luring, Director of Human Resources
at Catalant Pharma Solutions in Winchester, gave on-site
interviewing tips. Mr. Luring was also hiring and
provided on-site interviews at the seminar. Ten clients of
the Career Center in Winchester attended the event.
These events have been held monthly since May of this
year and will continue until further notice.
Mobile Career Center
In August, the Mobile Career Center made visits
to the following locations: National College of Business
– Richmond campus and the Summer Bash at Imani
Baptist Church in Lexington. During the month of
August, the Mobile Career Center provided over 30 job
seekers with resume writing and job search assistance.
Older Youth
Career Track is a program designed to help individuals 19-21 years
old (Madison County also serves 16 - 18 year olds) that wish to
improve their quality of life. The program provides one-on-one
services, such as; career counseling, GED assistance, resume writing,
interviewing skills training, and job search assistance.
Younger Youth
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Program currently has four
younger youth programs in the Bluegrass Region: TREK, WIN, Back
on Track and YIP. These programs serve out-of-school youth or inschool youth and are operated in several different counties.
TREK
Danville
No new information is available.
Georgetown
Numbers for the Career Track Program at the
Career Center in Georgetown are 8 enrolled, 2 awaiting
enrollment and 3 in training.
The Career Track Coordinators for Georgetown
and Lexington met with a representative from National
College of Business, Angela Wilson. The Career Track
Coordinator discussed the Youth Program and the
services provided including; resume assistance, job
searches, mock interviews and dress for success. The
Career Track Coordinators explained that there is
currently a waiting list for students who are eligible to
attend training. National College matches what the
participant is eligible for with the WIA program.
Lexington
Numbers for the Career Track Program at the
Career Center in Lexington are 20 enrolled, 2 awaiting
enrollment and 8 in training.
The month of August was a very busy month
filled with several important events. On August 2nd, the
Career Track Coordinator attended the first Child
Support Graduation with Tanya Fogle, Re-entry
Specialist. The Career Track Coordinator also attended
meetings and conducted outreach to more community
organizations such as Community Ventures and National
College. Both groups discussed the opportunities that
were available for clients of the program. The Career
Track Coordinator attended the Black Church Coalition
meeting in August and was introduced to new members
in the community including new Lexington-Fayette
County Commissioner, Beth Mills.
Richmond
Numbers for the Career Track Program at the
Career Center in Richmond are 22 enrolled, 4 awaiting
enrollment and 22 in training.
The TREK program serves out-of-school youth in Clark, Estill and
Powell counties.
The TREK program had one student receive their
GED in the month of August, 1 gain employment and 5
enrolled in post-secondary education. August marked
new partnerships with the Lions Club of Estill County
and the Estill County Food Bank. This partnership will
provide
Service
Learning/Community
Service
opportunities for youth enrolled in the TREK program.
In addition, students are also working on an independent
community service project centered at the Adult
Education Centers. As part of this project, students will
gain and share knowledge regarding family meal
budgeting.
WIN
The WIN program serves out-of-school youth in Franklin County.
WIN is continuing to focus on recruiting new
students. Currently, WIN has 9 students enrolled, 7
students attending post secondary school and 18 students
employed. On August 30th, the WIN Program had its
28th student pass the GED test.
Back on Track
Back on Track program serves out-of-school youth in Scott County.
The Back on Track program currently has 3
students employed and 2 students in post-secondary
education. The Back on Track program has built working
relationships with local business and educational
resources, including National College. The Back on
Track program will be attending a breakfast forum in
September to collaborate further with them as well as
network with new agencies that will be in attendance.
YIP
The YIP program currently has 4 students who
have gained employment and 15 in post-secondary
education. The YIP program is focusing on recruitment,
as well as, assisting youth who are beginning college.
The program participated in a yard sale to raise additional
funds to supplement grant funding. The YIP program is
also partnering with the Backpack program and Elizabeth
Witt Christmas Party to form service projects for youth.
Re-Entry Program
“Steppin’ to a New Beat”
The Re-Entry Program is dedicated to the purpose of guiding the
released man or woman into the process of transitioning back into the
community, or to keep from becoming a potential inmate. Ex-offenders
will participate in workshops lasting 12 weeks.
In the month of August, the “Steppin’ to a New
Beat" served 53 active clients. Sixty-three new applicants
requested services through the Re-Entry program, 9
participants found employment and 3 enrolled in college.
"Steppin’ to a New Beat" focused on community
involvement for the month of August. As part of the
lesson, 22 clients volunteered to assist Kevin Edmonds
from Adult & Tennant Services in relocating equipment
and furniture belonging to the Eldercrafters program.
Participants also assisted with the Summer Bash
Community Event at Imani Baptist Church on August 27th.
barrier for their success on those who are in recovery.
Brian Keith Coleman, mentor with "Steppin To A New
Beat" was the spotlight guest speaker.
Other Events
The Re-Entry Specialist works in partnership with several other Re-Entry
related events and programs in the Bluegrass Area.
Prison to the Streets
Prison to the Streets takes “Steppin’ to a New Beat” into the
correctional facilities to address re-entry prior to the release of inmates.
On August 17th, a “Steppin’ to a New Beat” class
focusing on "Stinkin’ Thinkin’" was held at Blackburn
Correctional Facility. As part of the class, the men were
asked to discuss old ideas and beliefs that they had before
coming to prison. As part of the educational session, the
class was asked to role-play. After participating the men
pointed out “Stinkin’ Thinkin’” thought patterns associated
with each scenario. This exercise was to tap into those
patterns of thinking that must be changed for success to be
achieved upon release. Of the 34 inmates participating in
the class, 7 inmates are returning to Lexington upon parole
and all have agreed to be part of the continuum of care
after exiting the facility.
Bluegrass Re-Entry Council
The Re-Entry Specialist works in partnership with several other re-entry
related events and programs in the Bluegrass Area.
A meeting with the Bluegrass Re-Entry Council
was held on August 25th, the theme was Advocacy. Mike
Barry, Chief Executive Office of People Advocating
Recovery and Dave Newton of Kentuckians for the
Commonwealth presented information to the council
concerning grass-roots organizations and individuals in
recovery re-entering their community. Dave spoke on the
topic of voting rights for inmates and his concerns for
individuals who have served their sentence and continue to
Rhon
be omitted from the democratic process. Mike educated the
Re-entry Council concerning advocacy for individuals in
recovery. The goal of the advocacy program is to assist in
removing the shame and stigma that society has placed as a
Pictured: L-R Tayna Fogle, Re-Entry Specialist, George Tillman,
Ahmadd Boyd “Steppin’ to a New Beat” Graduates, Honorable
Judge Bruce Bell, presiding Child Support Judge
Special Child Support Court - 08/02/11
Seven participants graduated from Child Support
Enforcement Court. Judge Bruce Bell presented the
Certificates of Completion to each of the participants.
James Dearing from the County Attorney's Office placed
a motion before the court for the felony charge of nonflagrant child support to be expunged from each of the
participant’s court records. The motion was granted
because all of them had met the requirements of:
consistent payments, establishing relationship with the
child or children, maintaining employment, and
completing the fatherhood class. Three of the seven
participants were from the “Steppin’ to a New Beat”
class: George Tilman, Ahmadd Boyd and Kevin Burnette.
Hope Center for Women - 08/23/11
Nineteen women attended a life skills class at the Rouse
House for Women. Re-Entry Specialist, Tayna Fogle,
explained the process for expunging a criminal record, as
well as, how to prepare for the workforce with a felony
conviction. Information was also provided on the
“Steppin’ to a New Beat” program.
Woodford County Detention Center - 08/23/11
Training was requested for 7 female inmates that are
leaving the Woodford County jail in the next 30 days.
The class covered the process of reentry, motivation, and
hope for success. The women shared their feelings of
guilt and anger concerning their children and the loss of
loved ones while incarcerated. The point of the
discussion was to help the group understand the
importance of working through the anger and beliefs.
Without working through those feelings the inappropriate
behaviors would remain and lead them back to jail.
Garrard County Child Support Court. 08/22/11, 8/29/11
The "Steppin’ to a New Beat" Re-Entry Program has
formed a partnership with the Garrard County Child
Support Unit under the direction of Mark Metcalf. The
12-week course will begin Tuesday, October 4th. Classes
will be held Tuesday mornings from 9:30 - 11:30 and
Wednesday morning from 10:30 - 12:30. The County
Attorney’s Office would like to pilot the successful Child
Support Enforcement Court in Fayette County. Computer
training, resume writing, and GED will be part of the
training provided through the 12-week course.
Summer Bash 08/27/11
Summer Bash, a Community Resource Fair was held at
Imani Baptist Church on August 22nd. More than forty
vendors participated, representing hospitals, colleges,
advocacy programs, employers, community agencies,
retailers, and faith-based organizations. The "Steppin to a
New Beat" re-entry program had 22 volunteers working
at the Summer Bash. The Summer Bash enjoyed
entertainment from people of the community, including;
Pastor Joesph Owens of Shiloh Baptist Church; Betina
Wright, a preschool teacher from Mary Todd Elementary;
and Jonathon Warren and Ed West, two participants from
“Steppin’ to a New Beat”. A father and son also spoke to
the attendees on their personal experiences regarding reentry after serving 10 years at Blackburn Correctional
Complex. The community responded well to the event
and vendors indicated that they would participate in
another similar event when the opportunity is presented.
More than forty vendors turned out for the Summer Bash Community Event, as well as, many members
of the local community, who brought their children out for the event.
Success Story
JoAnn Lewis thought she had found a job she
could retire with when she began working at Verizon as a
Telephone Operator in 1995. Flash forward 15 years and
a recession later, JoAnn found the Verizon office in
Lexington closing their doors, leaving her and her former
co-workers facing a lay-off in some of the toughest
economic times since the great depression. On March
27th of 2010, JoAnn moved from a world of employment,
making nearly $17.00 an hour with benefits, to one of the
unemployed.
JoAnn looked for work for more than a year, and
during that time she worked with the Workforce
Investment Act (WIA) Program on improving her job
search and interviewing skills. She was also given the
WorkKeys test, a test presented to all clients of the
program to determine their skill level and if they have the
necessary skills to enter training. JoAnn unfortunately
did not qualify for training based on her scores. As the
year passed, she continued on the same path of
increasing skills and searching for work.
While JoAnn continued her search, WIA was
working on securing a National Emergency Grant (NEG)
to assist a number of clients who had experienced a layoff and had been suffering from long-term
unemployment. In the spring of this year, WIA was
awarded a grant that provided employment related
services for dislocated workers.
The clients that
qualified as part of the NEG were provided additional
training. As part of those services, JoAnn was offered
the WorkKeys test again. She scored much better on the
Pictured: JoAnn
Lewis, Workforce
Investment Act
Program client (left)
and Daryl Smith,
Workforce
Investment Board
Chairman (right) at
the National Career
Readiness
Certificate
Celebration held at
the Career Center in
Lexington on August
th
15 .
test and qualified to receive training. With this new
score, JoAnn decided to take advantage of the
opportunities provided to her through the NEG and WIA.
She took classes offered through New Horizons Learning
Center for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and
received her certification in Word and Excel. Locating
work continued to be difficult even with her new
certifications. However, she never gave up hope,
continued to network and job search.
Then on August 15th, 2011 the Lexington Career
Center hosted a National Career Readiness Certificate
Ceremony at the Career Center to recognize the 34 NEG
clients who successfully obtained at least a score of 4 in
all three categories measured by the assessment (Reading
for Information, Locating Information, Math). JoAnn
was among those present, having scored a 4 or above
(Silver certificate). Also, on hand at the celebration was
the Workforce Investment Board Chairman, Daryl Smith
and Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government,
Commissioner of Social Services, Beth Mills, who
congratulated the participants on their achievement.
During the presentation JoAnn received fantastic news;
she had been offered a job with Centene, as a Customer
Service Representative making $12.50 an hour plus
benefits.
JoAnn is not only a success story, but she was a
very real inspiration to a room full of ex-coworkers and
to all her former co-workers who were part of the
Verizon shut-down who have been unemployed for more
than a year.
Social Media
www.facebook.com/ckycareers
www.twitter.com/ckycareers
www.linkedin.com (Search Groups: Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board)