Search Results for Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program

Temporary Internship Leads to Permanent Hire for Local Employer

August 8, 2022 | No Comments

KRA/Baltimore City customers enrolled in the Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program must complete an unpaid Work Experience (WEX) Internship, at the end of which, the jobseeker is hired by the employer, assigned to another WEX-site, or placed in permanent employment elsewhere, if appropriate. Some WEX-site employers embrace a mission so aligned with our own, that a partnership is inevitable—as in the case of Paul’s Place, Inc. that offers 20+ developmental and support-services programs, e.g. computer classes, family workshops, and job training. Shawnda Walker, KRA/WEX Program Supervisor reports, “Paul’s Place supervises, on average, seven Interns daily. During the previous
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KRA Launches Hiring Effort for Local Baltimore Entrepreneur

June 24, 2022 | No Comments

Valued at USD 19.3 billion in 2021, the organic personal-care sector of the Health and Wellness Industry is expected to reach USD 42.19 billion by 2030—an extremely favorable forecast for Fran Ngong, owner of Fran’s Organic Bodycare in Towson Center Mall and the BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. One day, she mentioned an immediate need to fill three positions to a colleague, who recommended Ms. Ngong contact the KRA Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program. On May 26, 2022, she contacted Shawnda Walker, KRA/Baltimore Lead Job Developer, who recommended an in-person Job Fair on June 2, 2022, as the best
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KRA Monthly Spotlight!

April 30, 2022 | No Comments

KRA Supports Massive Hiring Effort of Luxury Hotel For the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, KRA operates the Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program, providing critical workforce-development services for recipients of TANF benefits. On April 21, 2022, KRA hosted its first in-person Job Fair since early 2020. Of the employers in attendance, the standout was the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, a luxury 5-star, resort-like property in the heart of Baltimore’s Harbor East district. Bolstered by the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s positive industry-recovery projections, the Four Seasons identified 70 openings for seasonal Lifeguard, Pool, and Spa positions, as
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KRA/Baltimore City Customers Train for Self-Employment

January 14, 2022 | No Comments

The Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program, operated for the BCDSS, includes a mandatory 3-month Work Experience (WEX) Program Internship. The Druid Heights Community Development Corporation (DHCDC) has been a valued WEX-site for several years, recently providing workplace-readiness internships for seven KRA customers. Since all of the WEX participants had expressed interest in developing their own businesses, Azalee Fisher, DHCDC Community Outreach Director, offered them the opportunity to enroll in an Entrepreneurial Training Program founded by Dr. Lela Campbell, and directed by Katrina Leonard, both from the Workforce Development Center of A Step Forward Inc. Several small-business development specialists
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KRA Monthly Spotlight!

December 30, 2021 | No Comments

KRA Non-Profit Partner is a Valued Employer The WIOA and TANF programs that KRA operates across the country cultivate collaborative partnerships with local employers—businesses and non-profit organizations—essential to the workplace success of our jobseeker-customers. In Baltimore City, the Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program, operated for the BCDSS, requires up to a 3-month Work Experience (WEX) Internship, at the end of which, the intern-jobseeker is either hired by the WEX employer, or given another assignment. The New Vision House of Hope (NVHOH), an exceptional WEX-site provider, has assisted dozens of KRA jobseekers optimize their employment options, hiring several in
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Two Years on Bumpy Road Lead to Smooth Career Path for KRA Customer

October 8, 2021 | No Comments

Keshana Dorsey enrolled in the KRA Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program on September 12, 2019, after applying to the Baltimore City Department of Social Services (BCDSS) for TANF-TCA benefits. Two critical Program components include Community Work Experience (WEX) assignments with local private- and public-sector organizations, and a comprehensive Job Readiness Program (JRP) —both of which optimize opportunities for sustainable employment and career development. Unfortunately, personal circumstances led to Ms. Dorsey leaving the Program when her first WEX assignment ended on November 24, 2019. On January 15, 2020, having re-enrolled with BCDSS, she began a second WEX-site assignment, only
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A Bright Future Emerges from a Dark Past for KRA Customer

September 24, 2021 | No Comments

In December 2017, the Baltimore City Department of Social Services referred Alfred Howard, a TCA-TANF recipient, for enrollment in KRA’s Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program, which requires comprehensive Job Readiness Workshops (JRW) and Work Experience (WEX) Internships prior to eligibility for Occupational Skills Training (OST) opportunities. As a single father of an 11-month-old son, and desperately warding off homelessness, Mr. Howard sometimes engaged in questionable “street activities” for money. In fact, he was facing criminal charges that jeopardized not only his freedom, but custody of his son! Shawnda Walker, Lead Job Developer & WEX Site Supervisor, developed a strategic
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Temporary Assistance Develops Into Permanent Career for KRA Customer

September 10, 2021 | No Comments

In 2013, the Baltimore City Department of Social Services (BCDSS) referred Ms. Shandra Womack, a TCA-TANF recipient, to KRA for enrollment in the Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program, which includes a Work Experience (WEX) Internship with a community-based organization, and participation in Job Readiness Workshops (JRW). Since there was a WEX opportunity open in the KRA office, she was assigned as a Receptionist Intern to manage front-desk operations, welcome customers and visitors, and ensure that everyone received timely service. Ms. Womack commented, “All of a sudden, I was on the other side of that desk! Becoming confident in
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KRA Baltimore City Office Reopens Fully to Public

August 13, 2021 | No Comments

March 2020…Mandated COVID-19 restrictions forced KRA to close all its offices, which included the Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program that transitioned staff to a work-from-home status, and transferred individual- and group-participation activities to effective remote- and virtual-service venues. July 2020…As certain restrictions eased, KRA opened the Baltimore City office—in compliance with CDC Guidance—to individual customers, by appointment only. In addition, we continued to provide remote-learning and virtual services for individuals and groups, as appropriate. July 2021…KRA/Baltimore City staff met the “first day back” challenge with organization and flexibility. Pre-arranged scheduling allowed adequate time to welcome each customer, and
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KRA/Baltimore City Customer’s Career Path Paved with Green

July 16, 2021 | No Comments

Mr. Torre Lewis, 27, applied for TANF-TCA benefits through the Baltimore City Department of Social Services (BCDSS), which required him to enroll in KRA’s Job Readiness Program—a critical component of the Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program—prior to occupational-skills training (OST) and/or job-placement. One such OST opportunity is the KRA Knowledge2Career Construction Academy (K2C-CA) co-funded by the BCDSS for TCA customers and the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development for WIOA-eligible Youth jobseekers. KRA is a licensed provider-partner of the Home Builders Institute’s award-winning PACT (Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training) Program, compliant with National Construction Skill Standards, as well as National Association of Home Builders
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