Archives for Company News

Recently, 45 adults and youth enrolled in KRA’s Camden, New Jersey multi-service education, training, and employment program attended a workshop on accessing subsidized housing opportunities.  Anita Davis, KRA Program Manager, coordinated the event with Diane Johnson, Supervisor of the KRA Community Work Experience Program at McGuire Gardens, a State-supported, non-Section 8, public housing residence. Davis reported, “According to our intake statistics, almost 45 percent of our customers are facing a serious barrier…homelessness or inadequate housing.  Some live in temporary housing in a motel or a shelter; others live in overcrowded homes with family members or friends.  I thought a workshop on the issue could be
Read More

Edward Wilson is 28 years old and married with one child.  On March 2, 2011, he sought out KRA’s services in the Waccamaw Region of South Carolina, with a goal of fulltime employment, preferably in the Construction industry.  Edward was assigned to Kathy Hammond, KRA Career Agent, who would be his case manager, coach, and counselor throughout his time with the program. During intake, Hammond discovered that Edward was eligible for KRA’s Adult Workers Program, and began working with him on developing his Individual Employment Plan (IEP), a roadmap for success that, in Edward’s case, would require a few revisions. Hammond reported, “Edward had
Read More

KRA manages and operates a multi-year contract with the Prince George’s County [Maryland]  Department of Social Services.  As a Prince George’s County Works provider, operating out of the County’s three Employment Resource Centers, KRA works with customers applying for, or already participating in, the County’s Temporary Cash Assistance, Supplementary Nutrition Assistance, and/or Non-Custodial Parent Employment (NPEP) programs.  Recently, KRA partnered with Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) to provide NPEP customers job-readiness assessment, support, and training as they prepare for, enter, and retain unsubsidized employment. Beginning February 27, 2012, Reginald Black and Rewa Powell, KRA Career Agents, and Dwight Hastick, KRA
Read More

Last week, we took a look inside KRA’s successful workforce development programs for Dislocated Workers in the Waccamaw Region of South Carolina.  Essentially, dislocated jobseekers have been terminated or laid off (or received notice of termination or layoff), and are eligible for (or have exhausted) unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.  Question: What if the customer wasn’t laid off or fired, and is just plain “unemployed?” Answer: KRA’s Adult Workers Program, which provides quality employment and training services to assist jobseeker-customers in qualifying for and finding meaningful employment, as well helps employer-customers find the skilled workers they need to compete and succeed in business. 
Read More

KRA’s workforce development programs for Dislocated Workers successfully provide quality employment and training services to assist eligible jobseekers in qualifying and finding meaningful employment, as well as to help employers find the skilled workers they need to compete and succeed in business.  Essentially, to qualify for the program, an individual must have been terminated or laid off (or received a notice of termination or layoff), and is eligible for or has exhausted unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.  Once eligibility is confirmed, dislocated jobseekers qualify for an intensive set of KRA services that includes comprehensive assessments, development of individual employment plans (IEP), counseling/career
Read More

Kathy Confer, KRA Career Agent, reports, “When Helen De’Atley came to the VIEW [Virginia Initiative for Employment not Welfare] program here in Norfolk, she was a bit timid and unsure of how her skills and abilities fit with today’s job market. She had worked as a seamstress but, due to several medical crises, had not worked for quite awhile. As a single mother of a teenage daughter, Helen was anxious to get back to work, so she enrolled in our JRA [Job Readiness Academy] program, and we worked to develop an IEP [Individual Employment Plan] that would, step-by-step, get her
Read More

Many different types of services are integral to the success of KRA’s workforce development operations.  One, when required, is providing jobseeker-customers with basic or advanced occupational-skills training, and another, which is overarching, is providing local employer-customers with a pipeline of skilled workers.  Sometimes these services are provided sequentially, and sometimes simultaneously.  Such is the case with KRA’s On-the-Job Training (OJT) Program, a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) initiative that allows employers to hire, train, and retain employees in full-time permanent jobs, all while receiving Federally-subsidized wage reimbursements, up to 75%, during the course of the OJT contract.  Below are representative examples of how KRA
Read More

KRA has been awarded two new contracts by the District of Columbia Department of Human Services (DCDHS) to provide targeted workforce development services to TANF recipients.  Knowlton R. Atterbeary, KRA President & CEO, commented, “As a national leader in workforce development, KRA is very active in the national debate about the future of workforce policy in Washington, D.C. We’re excited to have this opportunity to expand in the District, where we’ll be able to broaden the dialogue by showcasing our innovative programs in the shadow of Capitol Hill.” KRA will provide job placement services under both contracts. One program focuses
Read More

Jennifer Ely worked diligently to maintain employment to support herself and her daughter.  She held down many jobs over the years…cashier, housekeeper, front desk receptionist…but then, one day it happened: unemployment.  After 2 months of trying, and failing, to get another job, Ms. Ely enrolled in the Job Readiness Academy (JRA) operated by KRA’s Norfolk VIEW (Virginia Initiative for Employment not Welfare) Program. Ms. Reva McCloud, KRA Career Agent, reported, “Jennifer told me that her ‘dream’ was to work in the cosmetology field, but had no experience in that area. So, Jennifer and I established her IEP [Individualized Employment Plan], and
Read More

Our January Spotlight! focuses on 19-year old Alexandria Evans, who enrolled in the KRA Career Institute’s (KCI) Dental Assistant Training Program for Out-of-School Youth in February 2011, because she was “looking for something positive to do.” In the beginning of her training, Alex, as she likes to be called, continued working part-time at a local party-supplies store as a cashier, but never let her work interfere with her studies. Cindy Medina, KRA Career Agent, said of Alex, “She was an extremely attentive student, completing in-class and homework assignments on time, asking questions, and in general, demonstrating that she was taking
Read More