Monthly Archives January 2020

KRA Monthly Spotlight!

  KRA Staff Engage in Trauma-Informed Care Training Recently, staff at the KRA Chicago Westside American Job Center (WAJC)— operated for the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership—during Staff Development Day engaged in an “Understanding Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care” training session, created by Kelly Butler, KRA Trainer/Special Projects Coordinator. Ms. Butler facilitated the session through a research-guided PowerPoint video and collaborative opportunities for meaningful discussion. One staff member reflected, “The presentation opened my eyes regarding things to remember when interacting with our customers, and ways we may need to address related situations. The presentation was also a mirror held up in front of my
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KRA Chicago Westside AJC Chosen for Filming TV Series Scene

Lights! Camera!! Action!!! Not the type of instructions commonly used at one of KRA’s American Job Center (AJC) operations across the country. However, those were the type of words heard in October at the Chicago Westside AJC (WAJC), operated for the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership. Here is the backstory: The pilot for a new sci-fi TV show, neXt, was filmed in Vancouver, even though the show is “set” in Portland. When FOX purchased the series, the broadcasting giant decided to shoot some scenes in the Chicagoland area because of substantive economic incentives. Adam Boor, Location Manager, stated that a hospital in
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KRA Pivotal to Success of Innovative 3-Way Collaboration

Jobseekers applying for, or already receiving, TANF or SNAP benefits in Prince George’s County, MD, have a one-stop resource—PGWorks, operated by KRA for the Department of Social Services—for receiving comprehensive education, training, and employment services. A program—piloted by KRA, MedCerts, and Employ Prince George’s, Inc.—actually took root at the May 2019 NAWDP Annual Conference where Melody Daniel, KRA Program Manager, met Sandy Mead, National Director of Workforce Development, MedCerts. “We discussed our mutual desire to provide meaningful occupational-skills training for PG County jobseekers, to substantially increase their viability in today’s competitive workplace.” Mead mentioned an existing partnership with Walter Simmons,
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