WORK-Lexington, Lexington’s new workforce resource center, opened its doors in the East End Neighborhood today, 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 we hope to expand to other neighborhoods. “We learned during the pandemic with testing and vaccines how important it is to take services to the neighborhoods, where they are easily accessible,” Gorton said.
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.
Although this is the first time the City has offered job training programs in the neighborhoods, the City has offered job training with some of these partners since 2017, and has had success in getting people trained and hired. Three workers and an employer who have participated in city programs were on hand for today’s 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. “The Charles Young Center continues to be one of the most dynamic spaces in the East End Neighborhood. It’s a special place for our seniors and our youth, to now hosting a pilot Work-Lexington program that hopes to connect workforce resources to a section of our community that needs them the most. ”
In conjunction with WORK-Lexington, the United Way of the Bluegrass is opening one of its new neighborhood WayPoint Centers inside Charles Young, a resource to help improve financial stability and address the complex challenge of improving economic mobility, overall wellness, and opportunity for underserved families.
“United Way of the Bluegrass is proud to partner with the City of Lexington to help improve the lives of people living in the East End Neighborhood,” said Timothy Johnson, United Way president and CEO. “Through the Workforce Resource Center, and the support of countless other partners, we are illustrating what can happen when we come together to help more of our neighbors succeed.”
Services at WORK-Lexington are free. Walk-in or register for an appointment at lexingtonky.gov/lexwork. The Center is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
For more information email work@lexingtonky.gov or call 859-258-WORK.
The Charles Young Center is located at 540 East Third St.
