Archives for Company News

On July 25, 2011, Anita Davis, KRA Program Manager, and Thomas Davis, KRA Team Lead, welcomed four local representatives to the first quarterly meeting of the KRA/Camden Advisory Board. The end-goal of the Board is eight members, representing community, commercial, and non-profit partners who support KRA’s diverse services through effective Community Work Experience, OJT, and General Assistance programs. To benefit KRA’s Youth Employability and Success program specifically, a school vice principal and a probation officer have been recruited to join the Board. For 1 hour, the Board addressed a full agenda that included topics related to increasing KRA’s presence and
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KRA Attracts New Business Partner – KRA’s Camden, New Jersey multi-program operation has established a business partnership with Holmes Crabs, which recently re-opened its doors on the Camden waterfront after a 7-year hiatus. Thomas Davis, KRA Team Leader approached Jay Banks, the restaurant’s Public Relations Manager, and shared with him the many benefits, services, and resources available through KRA/Camden’s workforce development programs. They discussed the restaurant’s hiring needs and came to agreement that Youth Employment Success (YES) participants will fill positions as Interns…with potential fulltime employment…as Customer Service Representatives, Wait Staff, and Kitchen Helpers. Mr. Banks also agreed to offer
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On July 8, 2011, Jeff Ward, KRA Out-of-School (OSY) and Adult Program Business Developer, and Pat Davis, KRA/OSY Career Agent were invited to Turnstyle Enterprises, Inc., and presented with a must-see video produced by their Work Experience and On-the-Job Training participants. The video, a total surprise, prompted Davis to say,” I laughed and cried because I never anticipated this!” She added, “Jeff works hard creating work-experience opportunities for the participants and what better way to say ‘thank you’.”  Mary Prince, Program Manager stated, “KRA appreciates Turnstyle Enterprises as a valuable partner in working with our OSY participants who have barriers to
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On June 29, 2011, Charles Botts, III, Job Developer and Team Lead with the KRA/CTWorks One-Stop operation in Connecticut’s North Central Region, appeared on the local Fox affiliate TV station’s, Fox 61, news program Good Morning Connecticut. He was tapped to appear on the show as part of the station’s ongoing effort to assist viewers, who are also jobseekers, in improving their chances of employment. Mr. Botts’ position with KRA puts him in front of potential employers all the time, thus he knows exactly what they are looking for in applicants’ résumés. In an interview-format conversation with one of Fox
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On June 13, 2011, Knowlton R. Atterbeary visited KRA’s Camden County program, a multi-service operation that provides educational and workforce development services to Youth participants, TANF recipients, and those eligible for the County’s General Assistance Program. Mr. Atterbeary participated in a lively all-hands staff Q&A session, along with Anita Davis, KRA Program Manager, sharing his vision and plans for KRA’s continued growth and success, and fielding questions, among them what inspired him, 31 years ago, to found KRA. The staff appreciated his “big picture” knowledge and views on the economy, specifically as it relates to the company’s goal of being
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Kimberly Staley, who directs KRA’s CTWorks operation in Connecticut’s North Central Region, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP). She will be representing the State of Connecticut on the Board, and had this to say about how she perceives her role, “My vision for NAWDP is to be recognized as the leader in the advancement of significant and vital national workforce development policies and initiatives, while increasing and retaining membership; increasing the awareness, recognition and acceptance of the NAWDP credentials; and gaining continued recognition as a gateway and think-tank for workforce
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On June 16, 2011, Capital Workforce Partners, KRA’s CTWorks client in the North Central Region of Connecticut, held its 7th Annual Workforce STARS Breakfast.  Over 150 attendees gathered to honor the achievements and commitment of area workforce professionals, businesses, civic leaders, and legislators. Christina Bartucca, KRA Deputy Director for the WIA Program, and Karen Brown, KRA Deputy Director for the Jobs First Employment Service (JFES) Program, were presented with the “Commissioner Patricia Mayfield Memorial Award”, and honored as “CTWorks One-Stop Workforce Professional STARS”, a special recognition of those who, through the workforce development system improve their lives or those around them. This
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On June 9, 2011, the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) of Richmond hosted Governor Elizabeth Duke, a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States. As part of her itinerary, Ms. Valaryee Mitchell, One Stop Services Coordinator with the Virginia Community College System/Workforce Development Services, arranged for Governor Duke to visit KRA’s One-Stop operation, the Resource Workforce Center. “Betsy”, as she introduced herself, expressed a deep interest in the workforce development industry, and how its services impact the nation’s economy. She is visiting programs, like KRA/Resource, all around the country to learn about not only
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This month’s Spotlight! is shining on two outstanding student-participants in KRA’s Portsmouth In-School Youth Employability & Success (YES) Program. KRA congratulates these remarkable young people, and their dedicated Career Agent, Juliette Batten, on their inspiring achievements. On May 1, 2011, Conya Postell received a notification that truly changed her life forever. Conya, who maintained a 3.96 GPA at Franklin High School, found out that…of a pool of 23,000 applicants…she was selected for a prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship (GMS)* that covers the cost of not only undergraduate education, but her graduate and doctoral studies as well. With Ms. Batten’s advice, assistance,
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