Workforce Readiness is ZOOMING

When the Oldham County Community Foundation developed and launched “Workforce Readiness Oldham County” (WROC) in 2019, we had no idea just how timely and critical this service would become after only a few months of operation. Unemployment claims in our community were averaging fewer than 20 per week until the coronavirus pandemic began. Unemployment claims are now averaging over 200 per week. In partnership with Kentuckiana Works and The Arvin Education Center, we were hosting weekly in-person classroom-style workforce readiness training, with some ‘graduates’ actually earning new jobs upon completion of the training.

The pandemic and lockdown created logistical challenges as our host site, The Arvin Education Center, is closed and social distancing prohibited classroom sessions. Under the leadership of our partner Kentuckianaworks, the WROC program is quickly adapting to this new reality by launching WROC online in the form of “Zoom Workshops”. The initial training began May 7^th, working with job seekers to obtain access to Zoom and understand how to use the technology. “Zoom Workshops” workforce readiness and job search training began May 14^th. This interim solution enables us to continue helping job seekers prepare for and connect with jobs at a time when the need has never been greater. We look forward to returning to The Arvin Education Center as soon as practical in order to continue the in-person training success and impact even more families in our community.

 

*The Oldham County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Louisville.