Archives for Community Involvement

KRA Congratulates its Prince George’s County Partner on 5-Year Anniversary

June 30, 2023 | No Comments

Employ Prince George’s is one of KRA’s most valued nonprofit client-partners, whom we support in the delivery of youth-focused workforce services in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Earlier this month, the organization celebrated a milestone, under the brilliant leadership of Walter Simmons, President & CEO, with its 5 Year Anniversary Gala. The theme, She Has Experience (S.H.E.), highlighted innovative women leaders in business/entrepreneurship, entertainment/mass media, government/non-profit management—and more, whose contributions have enabled Employ Prince George’s to make an indelible impact on the economy of the County and surrounding area. Melody Daniel, Program Director, commented, “What a superb opportunity to see women
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KRA Monthly Spotlight!

September 30, 2022 | No Comments

Programs Create Diverse Events to Celebrate Workforce Development Month In 2005, the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals created Workforce Development Professionals Month, raising awareness about the importance of our industry to a growing national economy. Originally celebrated in May, NAWDP moved the designation to September in 2012. In 2022, a U.S. Senate resolution designated September as Workforce Development Month, recognizing the importance of equipping Americans with the education and training necessary to advance their careers and to contribute to the national economy. KRA Programs across the country honored WDM with activities and events best suited to their operations, and from
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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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New KRA Partnership Supports Ex-offenders In West and Southside Chicago Communities

February 18, 2022 | No Comments

Mignonne Barnes, KRA Program Director, reports, “Strong community partnerships ensure that the Westside American Job Center and the Chatham Education and Workforce Center [both operated for the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership] continue to provide WIOA Adult Services for every eligible jobseeker in our communities.” Recently, she met with Ivory Snow, Chief Administer Officer, St. Leonard’s Ministries (SLM), and other staff, to explore mutual goals related to technical and soft skills training resulting in job-placement opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals. In addition to the social stigma generally attached to returning citizens, many present multiple challenges related to homelessness, mental illness, racial
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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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KRA Monthly Spotlight!

October 31, 2021 | No Comments

KRA Supports South East Collaborative Workforce Development Initiative For the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (Partnership), KRA provides a comprehensive array of career-development services—guidance, education, occupational-skills training, and employment—for the area’s Adult, Dislocated, and Youth jobseekers through the Westside American Job Center and, since August 2020, the Chatham Education and Workforce Center (CEWC) on the Southside. Already struggling economically, first from the impact of the 2007-2009 Recession, and then from the devastating effects of COVID-19, area public- and private-sector leaders realized the need to do more to support the Chatham Community. On the 3rd Thursday of each month, members of the
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KRA/Reno Organizes Live Job Fair & Career Expo

August 6, 2021 | No Comments

The American Job Center of Nevada (AJCN) is the hub of the comprehensive Reno-based One Stop Career Center (OSCC) system, operated by KRA for the NevadaWorks WDB collaboratively with an exceptional network of co-located agencies including Nevada JobConnect, the Nevada DHHS, the Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation (DETR), and Truckee Meadows Community College, to name a few. On July 28, 2021, the AJCN hosted a Job Fair & Career Expo at the Reno Town Mall, which was buzzing with excitement generated by 225 jobseekers, numerous OSCC-partners, and 19 of the area’s leading employers…paying a minimum of $17.00 an hour!
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KRA Staff Present at WORKCON 2021!

May 17, 2021 | No Comments

An Equitable Recovery Maxine Suka and Jonathan Overall and Holly Childs will share their well-earned knowledge and expertise at the California Workforce Association (CWA) Annual Spring Conference. As a long-time provider of WIA/WIOA Career and Business Services for multiple Counties and Cities under California’s WDB system, KRA supports the CWA/WORKCON 2021 statement, “Inequity has been the number one challenge of this economic recession. Low-wage workers are experiencing a bigger burden, including greater risks to their health, and higher unemployment rates. We have also seen labor market declines being concentrated among communities of color and women.” On May 26, (10:30am –
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KRA/MedCerts Present at NAWDP!

May 13, 2021 | No Comments

In February 2020, we reported KRA/EPG/MedCerts Collaboration Celebrates CMAA Graduation, an event made possible when representatives from KRA, MedCerts, and Employ Prince George’s (EPG) discovered a shared objective: providing sustainable, industry-driven occupational-skills training (OST) for Prince George’s County TANF and SNAP jobseekers. The chance meeting, at the 2019 Annual NAWDP Conference, evolved into an innovative, successful collaborative pilot program that was to be featured through Blended Learning for Jobseekers with Barriers to Employment at the 2020 Annual NAWDP Conference in Orlando, which was cancelled due to COVID-19. On May 19, 10:00am (PDT), Melody Daniel, KRA/PGWorks Program Manager, and Sandy Mead, MedCerts National
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