LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — WORK-Lexington, Lexington’s new workforce resource center, opened its doors in the East End Neighborhood 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,” Lexington 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.
WORK-Lexington's goal is to expand to other neighborhoods as the program grows.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
Services at WORK-Lexington are free. Walk in or register for an appointment here. The Charles Young Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It is located at 540 E. Third St.
For more information email work@lexingtonky.gov or call 859-258-WORK.
