Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board

Grants

Helping Indivdiuals Ready for Employment (HIRE)

Helping Individuals Ready for Employment (HIRE) is an internship grant focusing on recent graduates of the healthcare industry.  The internship focuses on 80 interns who are also WIA participants, providing them placements for up to 12-weeks within the healthcare industry to receive real world practical training as well as mentoring in the healthcare field.

Multi-Company National Emergency Grant (MC NEG)

On February 10th, the Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board became one of eight Workforce Investment Areas to receive a Multi-Company National Emergency Grant (MC NEG). The grant totaling $4,883,709 is used to assist a number of individuals. Individuals will receive “wrap-around” and supportive services (i.e. dependent care and transportation assistance). Those dislocated workers who are eligible have the opportunity to utilize a variety of services including training and employment assistance.

Initially, $3,589,595 was awarded to the investment areas, with the remainder being contingent upon the continued needs of individuals in the state. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis was quoted as saying, “I am pleased that with the support of today’s national emergency grant, workers across the Bluegrass State will have the opportunity to pursue the employment and training activities they need to access good jobs in growing industries.”

Bluegrass Workforce Investment Act staff contacted over 300 people who were laid off from the three approved affected businesses in the Bluegrass area: Jackson Plastics in Nicholasville, Kmart in Danville, and Verizon in Lexington. Several orientations were held at the Central Kentucky Career Centers in Lexington and Danville to determine eligibility of the affected workers. Of those participants who attended the orientations, 124 were enrolled.
Staff determined that the majority of the participants identified had a need for basic computer skills. Participants’ interests were surveyed and computer classes were then arranged through New Horizons. The Microsoft Essential Office Skills classes lasted approximately six weeks. At the completion of the class, participants were able to complete the certification exams for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Of those who completed the classes, 83% obtained at least one certification.

Job Clubs were also established for participants, focusing on employment. These job clubs provided resources on employment related items such as resume writing, interviewing skills, job leads, and networking opportunities. The National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) was also a resource provided through these job clubs. Participants were informed of the benefits in obtaining the NCRC and 32 participants successfully obtained at least a Silver NCRC. Over 15 job clubs have been made available to these participants.

On-the-Job Training National Emergency Grant (OJT NEG)

Kentucky was awarded an On-the-Job Training National Emergency Grant (OJT NEG) in which the Bluegrass Region received $453,904.79. The OJT NEG was awarded by the Secretary of Labor to provide services for dislocated workers to help bridge the gap between unemployment and employment. The funds were restricted to those dislocated workers who had been unemployed for at least 21 consecutive weeks. This grant allows businesses to recoup up to 90% of the wages paid to new hires during their training periods, providing businesses with an incentive to hire dislocated workers who have been unemployed for a prolonged amount of time.
Businesses in the Bluegrass Region were made aware of the OJT NEG when they placed job orders with the

Central Kentucky Career Centers. Ten companies in the Bluegrass Region have utilized this opportunity with one or more employees. The participants are earning wages of up to $17.64 an hour. Of the companies participating in the OJT NEG, the majority are from the manufacturing sector, which the Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board has recently identified as a target sector for the Bluegrass Region. Five of the 10 companies are identified as small businesses with less than 50 employees.

Linda Huesing, Human Resource Manger at E.D. Bullard in Harrison County, shared her feelings about the program and how it has helped her company. “We have definitely found the OJT program beneficial. For Bullard, the financial reimbursements have been great. The opportunity for OJT money has definitely influenced some of our hiring decisions. For example, rather than opting to staff primarily with temporary positions during a cyclical period, we actually hired a number of full-time employees. While we will always hire the best available candidates, we have been cognizant of the many benefits of hiring dislocated workers.”