Monthly Archives March 2017

We are all familiar with the phrase: the three most important factors for success in the real-estate industry are location, location, location! In the workforce-services industry, we have our own three most important factors for success: preparation, preparation, preparation!! Total workplace-readiness is important for all KRA customers, but even more critical for participants with major obstacles to gainful employment. Jobseekers with criminal records, low-or-no marketable skills, little-or-no work experience, and/or a history of dependence on public-assistance programs sometimes require an even more heightened level of job-preparation service. Our Spotlight! is shining brightly on two customers—among an average of 170 a
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Our recent Spotlight! reported that Knowlton R. Atterbeary was visiting local KRA programs as part of the firm’s Motivated and Moving Forward Tour 2017, focused on our Continuous Quality Improvement Initiative. During his visit to the KRA/San Diego Metro Region Career Centers, operated for the San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP), Atterbeary toured the facility of one of the WIOA-approved Training Providers that offers occupational-skills development for eligible Adult/Dislocated Workers. The Urban Barber College, owned by Jerry Riggins, a retired military veteran, offers a 9-month training program, accommodating 20-30 students at a time. Currently enrolled are eight KRA/San Diego participants, whose
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Supported by KRA Knowledge2Career Academy (K2C) co-workers, Dedra Berry, Intake and QA Specialist, and Joanie Sonnet, Career Navigator, spearheaded a targeted hiring event to assist area businesses in filling immediate, specific job openings. KRA collaborated with local businesses to assist job-ready K2C participants enter the workforce. Also, the Long Beach City Department of Health and Human Services provided Pocket Resource Guides to connect the young-adult jobseekers with free and low-cost community services. Berry reports, “Eight Certified Microsoft Office Specialists and four Licensed Forklift Operators, all of whom completed occupational-skills training through KRA/K2C, interviewed for positions with area employers, including Associate Management
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Recently, Capital Workforce Partners (CWP), KRA funding partner, in collaboration with the CT Department of Labor and the KRA-operated American Job Center (AJC), co-hosted Open Houses in the Hartford, Enfield, and Manchester AJC offices. Career Services Information Sessions (CSIS) designed “to reach people who have not heard about our system”, said Alex Johnson, CWP President/CEO, kicked off the events, providing an overview of the extensive array of workforce-development services available to jobseekers in the Greater Hartford region. Luke Bronin, Hartford Mayor, commented, “I’m thrilled to be part of the conversation with the AJC, where a great team is working hard every day to
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Shawna Wright, KRA/Knowledge2Career Academy, was selected for the 27th class of the Leadership Long Beach Institute, “an intensive 10-month program for community leaders wishing to improve their understanding of the opportunities and challenges of the Long Beach community.” Participants learn about Long Beach’s (California’s 7th largest city) diverse communities, concerns, and issues, collaborating with other area leaders to design and implement projects that address community needs, while finding more opportunities to serve Long Beach. A few of the projects have included a MLK Day of Service: Planting a Community Learning Garden; a Youth Foundations Retreat; Project in Progress: Bringing a Farmer’s Market
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Our Spotlight! is shining brightly on the KRA Motivated and Moving Forward Tour 2017, the goal of which is to assess the effectiveness of our corporate-wide Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Initiative—The KRA Way: Changing the Game & Raising the Bar! To maintain its status as a high-performing organization, KRA has adopted The Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence system, and over the past several years, introduced new programs related to one or more Baldrige principles, i.e., (external) customer and (internal) workforce focus; leadership; measurement, analysis, and knowledge and process management; strategic planning; and last, but most critical to our CQI success, results. Last month,
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