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KRA’s Leadership Edge (LE) provides training and development workshops for current and emerging program-management staff to enhance their knowledge, skills, and abilities in myriad areas and to develop Capstone Projects, which are shared with KRA programs across the country. William McIntyre, Program Director and member of LE 2021, stated, “Under normal circumstances, LE classes convene in September; December; March; and June, the month for Graduation and Capstone Project presentations. However, for our LE Class that began in September 2019, followed by a second session in December, KRA cancelled the March 2020 session, focusing its logistical and technical resources solely on
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February: A Month for Celebration  February 1926 marked the launching of Negro History Week, which in February 1976, evolved into Black History Month. February also marks the month that KRA celebrated its own history-making milestone—40 years’ service dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and strengthening the communities in which we live. Knowlton R. Atterbeary, President & CEO, founded the firm, convinced that the key to unlocking the door to sustainable community economic independence was linked inextricably to a skilled and reliable workforce, which became his life’s mission. KRA is the only Black-owned National Leader in Workforce Development, providing Career
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KRA operates the Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services for a revolving caseload of approximately 400 customers. Last month, in addition to having already uploaded Workforce Readiness Workshops in May 2020, for customers to access through Google Classroom,  KRA began offering a Virtual Soft Skills Training Program, since traditional classroom settings, for large groups, are not feasible due to physical-distancing restrictions in Maryland. Greg Alexander, Program Manager, states, “Using Zoom allows many customers to attend ‘live’ classes that are engaging, interactive, and most of all safe, from their computers, mobile phones,
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Sylvia Henry, KRA Operations Manager, Las Vegas One-Stop Career Centers (OSCC), reports, “When Workforce Connections (WC) selected KRA to manage the OSCC operation, we offered services for WIOA, Welfare and Supportive Services, and Community Service Block Grant jobseekers through one Comprehensive OSCC site and a network of library-affiliates that had expanded to 10 sites by January 2018. Two years later, we found ourselves in the grip of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, fueling an economic downturn that has devastated businesses nationwide. To provide assistance and support to Las Vegas-region employers during these challenging times, a multi-partner collaboration—WC/KRA, the Nevada Department of
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In March 2016, the San Diego Metro Region Career Centers—now a Countywide program operated by KRA for the San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP)—launched its first major online program, Searching in San Diego, the official SDWP Podcast for on-demand access to up-to-date “workforce topics, trends, and tips” for both jobseekers and employers. To date, 92 Podcasts have aired, co-hosted by Diana Saldivar, KRA Career Centers Brand Manager and Doug Foresta, Workforce180 Director of Podcast Services and Communications, and supported by KRA/SDWP Career- and Business-Services specialists, who frequently contribute their personal experiences as well as their professional expertise. For example, in the
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Operated by KRA for NevadaWorks, the Northern Nevada Workforce Board, the American Job Center of Nevada (AJCN), which due to COVID-19 restrictions discontinued public access to the facility in March, resumed in-person services in September. Mike Smith, KRA Program Manager, commented, “Since we reopened, after the 6-month hiatus, we discovered that many current and new customers really need assistance in developing basic computer skills, as well as writing resumes and preparing for job interviews. We were fortunate to find a one-stop solution, New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, right in our own Reno Town Mall ‘backyard’, and negotiated with them to upload
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For the Baltimore City Department of Social Services (BCDSS), KRA operates the Work Participation, Placement, and Support Services Program, which provided a wide range of in-person services for a caseload of more than 400 customers—until state-mandated COVID-19 prevention measures went into effect March 17, 2020. Since many customers have little-to-no work history, or have been out of the workforce for a long time, KRA’s Workforce Readiness Workshops (WRW) are an integral component of preparing customers for sustainable employment opportunities. Gregory Alexander, Program Manager, commented, “Before COVID-19 forced us to close our office and transition staff to work-from-home, about 100 customers
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