Pete LaFleur, Muhlenberg Job Corps’ Center Director, and Brian Hancock, Muhlenberg Job Corps’ Business Community Liaison, attended the first “KY Works Collaborative” meeting in Frankfurt on February 28. The meeting was led by Governor Matt Bevin and Melissa Aguilar, KY Workforce Investment Board Executive Director. Numerous cabinet members attended, such as: state labor, education, human services, and secretaries.  Also in attendance were the KWIB leadership and college presidents. The theme of this meeting focused on the overall goal which is to take the KY Workforce Development System to the next level and help meet current employers’ needs as well as attract new businesses to KY.

WIOA integration and strategic plan implementation will be driven by the Governor Bevin, KWIB, Local Workforce Development Boards and the KY Works Collaborative. Job Corps is a WIOA “core” partner. Governor Bevin has established the KY Works Collaborative in hopes of merging key public and private stakeholders. And, to implement WIOA and the KWIB’s strategic plan “KY Work Ready: An Urgent Call to Action.”  These vested partners are to develop new and enhanced approaches for building and strengthening KY’s workforce at state level, which in turn supports the local level in implementation and continued local strategies.

Pete was selected to represent the seven Kentucky Job Corps along with Jeff Barton, Earle C. Clements’ Center Director. Jeff was chosen as a proxy in case of Pete’s absence for the remaining scheduled meetings. Pete said that he looks forward to reporting progress of the KY Works Collaborative meetings to the Kentucky Job Corps as the strategic plan unfolds and phase implementation begins.

(Photo Taken By) Kim Saylor Brannock from the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet