LEXINGTON, Ky. – WORK-Lexington, Lexington’s new workforce resource center, opened its doors in the East End Neighborhood on Thursday, with the goal of opening the door to employment to anyone looking for work.
“We want to make job training accessible and available at the neighborhood level,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “We’re starting here at the Charles Young Center, with opportunities for job training, job placement and support services. We know we have people looking for work and employers looking for workers in our city … we hope they can come together at WORK-Lexington.”
The need for increased job training was identified by the Mayor’s Commission on Racial Justice & Equality.
“This is the perfect time for workforce training as we come out of a pandemic that cost many people their jobs,” Gorton said.
As the program grows, WORK-Lexington hopes to expand to other neighborhoods.
Another lesson learned during the pandemic, the importance of partnerships, is also part of WORK-Lexington, which is initially bringing together eight workforce partners who will form a one-stop shop for job training. Many of the partners were on hand for the news conference.
WORK-Lexington Partners include the Urban League, Bluegrass Community & Technical College, United Way of the Bluegrass, Opportunity for Work & Learning, the Kentucky Career Center, Jubilee Jobs, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Lexington Rescue Mission, and Goodwill Industries of Kentucky.
Councilmember James Brown said the Charles Young Center meets many community needs. In conjunction with WORK-Lexington, the United Way of the Bluegrass is opening one of its new neighborhood WayPoint Centers inside the Charles Young Center, a resource to help improve financial stability and address the complex challenge of improving economic mobility, overall wellness, and opportunity for underserved families.
Services at WORK-Lexington are free.
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