YEAR IN REVIEW
2021 - 2022
Big Picture Numbers
Highlights from 2021-22
Making racial equity our top priority
The workforce barriers that exist for Black Americans are well-documented. In 2021, the KentuckianaWorks Board of Directors made confronting these barriers its top strategic priority. Simply put, this means seeking to make the largest difference possible for Black Americans across all of the work that we do.
See full chart and learn more here.
This has meant continuing to improve and invest in core programming, including services located in west Louisville like our comprehensive adult career center (Kentucky Career Center), construction training program (Kentuckiana Builds), and young adult career center (The Spot at the Nia Center).
In addition, we have also partnered with employers and community-based organizations on multiple initiatives designed to promote racial equity (Redesigned Jobs, Resilient Workers, Generation Work, and Bridging the Digital Divide).
Our labor market data team has also produced original research to help inform local leaders about the challenges facing Black workers.
You can learn more about these efforts on our Equity webpage and track the racial breakdown of our program clients and outcomes on our Demographics Dashboard.
“The spot” shines during its first year, serving more than 500 young adults
In 2021, The Spot: Young Adult Opportunity Campus - a new partnership between KentuckianaWorks and Goodwill Industries of Kentucky - opened the doors of its headquarters in downtown Louisville. The Spot, which provides free career resources for young adults ages 16-24 across the Louisville region, has been in high demand ever since! In just over a year, the program has helped more than 500 young adults get career guidance and support, and helped nearly 250 of them land new jobs.
You can see videos about The Spot, as well as photos from the open house, ribbon-cutting, and more, below.
Kentuckiana Builds program nears 350 construction job placements
Over the past year, the Kentuckiana Builds training program continued to send highly qualified and talented graduates into employment at the region’s top construction firms. A partnership between KentuckianaWorks, the Louisville Urban League (who operates the program), and the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, Kentuckiana Builds has now placed 342 graduates into construction jobs.
Nearly 85% of participants who found construction jobs through the program in 2021-2022 are Black (only about 5% of all U.S. construction workers are Black) and 35% are women (only about 10% of all U.S. construction workers are women). In addition, the average starting wage for Kentuckiana Builds placements over the past year was more than $17 per hour.
You can learn more about the training and hear from a program graduate in the videos below.
Code Kentucky’s first class of graduates start their tech careers
Residents of northern and eastern Kentucky who registered for the inaugural Code Kentucky classes are now beginning to complete their training and find jobs in the tech sector. Code Kentucky is a new software development training program modeled on the successful Code Louisville program. Funded through a grant from the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, the program blends self-guided online learning with weekly classroom meetups and mentorship.
KentuckianaWorks runs Code Kentucky, in partnership with the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP), and the Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (NKWIB).
You can hear from a recent Code Kentucky graduate who landed a tech career in the Q&A video below. You can also watch a promotional video for the program’s Salesforce Certification training. Learn more about Code Kentucky here >>>
New opportunities for high school seniors
In May, KentuckianaWorks led efforts to hold a new 3 day career fair for graduating seniors at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Thousands of JCPS seniors walked next door to the fair after their graduation ceremony at Freedom Hall to see what employers could offer them.
In all, 80 employers participated in the event, including industry leaders like Norton Healthcare, LG&E, Ford, GE Appliances, Texas Roadhouse and UPS. The After the Tassel Career Fair was co-hosted with Greater Louisville Inc, the Kentucky Career Center, and Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS).
In addition, the KentuckianaEARNS work-based learning platform for young adults (16-24) now has over 4,700 job seekers registered and nearly 250 registered employers looking to hire.
The KentuckianaWorks Board has continued to play a leading role in the Academies of Louisville initiative at JCPS. As of today, there are 15 Academy schools with a total of 18,000 students and more than 150 partner businesses.
The local Kentucky Career Center team joins Mayor Fischer at their booth at the After the Tassel event. The KCC in the Louisville region was a key partner in the event.
12 seasons of SummerWorks and 40,000+ young adults employed at partner employers
Another successful season of SummerWorks is in the books! This year, the 12th since Mayor Fischer started SummerWorks and 3rd since the COVID-19 pandemic began, saw more than 3,000 youth participate at more than 200 employers (161 private sector companies and 40 non-profits or public agencies). More than 50% of participants were from high priority zip codes in south, west, and central Louisville.
At the 12 year celebration event, Mayor Fischer gave special credit to the program’s partner employers, including GE Appliances (featured in the photo above) UPS, Kindred Healthcare, Kentucky Kingdom, Kroger, Thorntons and Norton Healthcare, for helping make the program so impactful for our community’s young people.
You can hear about that impact directly from a couple of 2022 participants in the videos below.
*Numbers for SummerWorks include projected estimates of this season’s data, which has not been fully reported yet.
Expanding our reach in the 7-county region
The adult and youth career center teams have continued to expand their reach across the 7-county region to ensure that every resident has access to their services. In November of 2021, the career center teams at the Buckman Street Center in Shepherdsville held their first resource fair (above photo: Bullitt County Judge Executive Jerry Summers cuts the ribbon at the Buckman Street Center alongside other local leaders).
Job seekers outside of Louisville can also visit the Hope Center in Eminence, the Stratton Center in Shelbyville, or a variety of public libraries in Trimble, Oldham, Spencer, and Bullitt counties to access in-person career services. The mobile team can also meet job seekers at a place that is convenient for them. Click here for a full listing of KentuckianaWorks locations and hours in our 7-county region.
In-person Career Services in Region
“Everyone is welcome here...we will help show you all the ways you can succeed.”
College Access cCenter moves to new home on Fourth Street
Mayor Fischer meets with KCAC staff at the ribbon-cutting event.
In November, the KentuckianaWorks College Access Center (KCAC) celebrated the ribbon-cutting of its new headquarters on Fourth Street in downtown Louisville (the KCAC was previously located a few blocks away on Broadway). Mayor Fischer and Dr. Ty Handy, the President of Jefferson Community and Technical College, joined KCAC staff and clients to mark the occasion.
The KCAC is a one-stop resource center that has been helping adults and high school students in the Louisville area overcome barriers and go to college since 1978. All of the KCAC’s clients are low income and/or first generation college students, and a significant percentage are immigrants or refugees.
Tabarak (above) came to the United States from Iraq. The College Access Center serves a diverse population of immigrants and refugees from countries across the world.
“Believe me when I tell you, where I come from, it’s really hard to find resources, especially for women seeking an education overseas. So I’m very grateful to be here today and share my story and to have this team on my side.”
Job Placements
Helped 902 people get jobs through job training scholarships, workforce readiness preparation, or other direct, one-on-one interventions.
“I was, at the time, down and out. I just wanted knowledge to obtain but I didn’t know where to get it from. I came across Code Louisville, and they were there.”
“Everything was professional. Everybody was respectful...I give the program 5 stars!”
Education & Training
Labor Market Intelligence: Highlights
KentuckianaWorks continued to share local workforce analysis with policy makers, community leaders, media, and other stakeholders across the region. Here are a few examples (you can find more on the LMI webpage).
The role of childcare in the labor force participation rate among women
The Louisville region ends 2021 in one of the tightest labor markets ever recorded
The importance of immigrants to the region’s labor force
Services to Employers: Highlights
KentuckianaWorks and its contractor partners continued to support local businesses through hosting in-person and virtual hiring events, promoting job postings in the weekly Job Seeker Update email newsletter, coordinating Rapid Response activities, and much more.
The Sector Strategies team has also been working closely with select employers to help them improve frontline jobs as part of a 4-city grant from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. Learn more about their work below.
Data is a Four Letter Word
Mike Karman talks to Sarah Ehresman about how we use data to further our workforce priorities.
Saying Farewell to the KMCC
(Above) A hiring event at the KMCC.
In 2022, the Board also made the difficult, yet prudent, decision to close the Kentucky Manufacturing Career Center (KMCC). A multi-year decline in client demand for short-term training services during a tight labor market meant the costs of operating the KMCC could no longer be justified.
Yet despite its closing, there is no doubt about the program’s impact in the past decade. Since its founding in 2013, the KMCC helped more than 1,900 clients start new careers in the manufacturing sector. More than 340 jobseekers earned the industry-recognized Certified Production Technician credential offered by the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council (MSSC) and job seekers also earned more than 3,600 other certificates—including the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), Forklift Certificate, and LEAN processes.
In addition, more than 200 manufacturing employers have participated in its advisory committee and programming. KentuckianaWorks continues to coordinate the Manufacturing Employer Advisory Group, which meets monthly to focus on recruitment, retention and promotion of the manufacturing sector.
KentuckianaWorks remains committed to partnering with manufacturing employers in the region, and job seekers will continue to be pointed toward opportunities in this sector through the region’s career centers.
“I’m sad to hear that the KMCC center will be shutting down due to budget cuts. However, I’m really glad that the rest of the program will stay intact. It does such a great job of keeping employers apprised of programs in our community that can help us with our employment initiatives. Keep up the good work!”
Thank You
Thank you to our Board of Directors, Chief Local Elected Officials, Program Oversight Committee members, as well as the funders and partners listed below.
Without your leadership and support, none of this work would be possible.
Funders ($5,000 and up)
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Community Foundation of Louisville
Cralle Foundation Inc
Diaz Family Foundation
Evolve502
FHI 360
Gingko Fund
Henry Heuser, Jr.
James Graham Brown Foundation
jefferson County Public Schools
Jewish Heritage Fund
JPMorgan Chase
Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services
Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet
Louisville Metro Government
Louisville Redevelopment Authority
Mary Gwen Wheeler and David Jones Jr.
National Fund for Workforce Solutions
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
U.S. Department of Labor
Wilderness Louisville
Contractor Partners
AHEAD Human Resources
Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)
Equus Workforce Solutions
Goodwill Industries of Kentucky
Louisville Urban League
Management Registry Inc.
YouthBuild Louisville