Since President Obama issued his call-to-action at the beginning of the year, the efforts of the current administration regarding workforce development have remained consistently strong particularly with regard to the at-risk youth and veteran populations—two groups that KRA Corporation feels are most in need of assistance.
In addressing the needs of one of those groups, America’s youth, the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education created the Youth CareerConnect grant dedicated to developing educational methods that better prepare U.S. students for the rigors of a competitive workplace.
Youth CareerConnect awards in the amount of $107 million were recently announced in an attempt to better prepare school-aged youth for tertiary education and career pathways by providing a more relevant and skills-centric education.
Awarded to 24 Youth CareerConnect programs countrywide, the grants are aimed at integrating “rigorous educational standards with work experiences and skills in ways that enhance instruction and deliver real-world learning opportunities for students.”
The funds will be awarded to those of local education agencies, workforce investment boards, higher education institutions and employer partners who endeavor to shift the teaching and learning experience toward those knowledge and skills necessary to compete in high-demand industries.
These Youth CareerConnect schools will leverage and strengthen partnerships between key stakeholders (high schools, workforce investment systems and employers) to deepen the talent pool within the U.S. workforce by providing more career-ready candidates who possess relevant skills and credentials.
The educational focus will be on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields in an attempt to better prepare students to enter college, registered apprenticeships and careers especially in healthcare, information Technology and manufacturing.
KRA Corporation appreciates the efforts of all parties involved in creating and expanding opportunities for key groups in the U.S. workforce by providing the infrastructure for success in the workplace through skills and knowledge acquisition. It will aid in keeping the U.S. competitive in the global marketplace as well as giving workers a fair shot at a better life.
As a workforce development organization that is dedicated to preparing jobseekers for today’s global economy and supplying employers with a trained and reliable workforce, KRA Corporation looks forward to monitoring this initiative’s progress.
Dr. Boone’s 20+ years’ experience in the industry is extensive and her expertise in private-, public-, and non-profit sector workforce-services organizations is unparalleled, particularly in the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan area.
