By Eugene Vilensky
“Kentuckiana Dream” will benefit local workers
The University of Louisville has created a new program in conjunction with the Greater Louisville Workforce Investment Board to help “nontraditional workers find entry-level jobs in the emerging supply chain industry.”
The program, “Kentuckiana Dream,” is being funded by a two-year federal grant of $500,000.
The grant was secured by Senator Mitch McConnell under the budget of the U.S. Department of Labor. McConnell sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee and is currently in line to become Majority Whip.
According to a statement released by the university, there is a chronic labor shortage in entry-level warehousing and transportation jobs within the logistics industry. The program will work against this trend by training “underemployed adults, immigrants, and older workers.”
“We’ll offer on-site classroom and on-the-job training to help these people develop the skills they need to qualify for high-paying, secure careers in the supply chain industry,” said Hokey Min, a U of L professor who is directing the program.
“The logistics industry is an important and growing component of the Louisville economy,” McConnell said in a statement. “I believe U of L can play a pivotal role in preparing our region’s workers for jobs in this growing industry.”
Separately, McConnell secured $300,000 from the Department of Labor for Greater Louisville, Inc., the metro chamber of commerce.
This money will fund the study the feasibility of a “biologistics facility” that could take cells removed from patients, send them anywhere in the world for processing, and return them to the patients.
Recently, the Workforce Investment Board and Greater Louisville, Inc. have created the Regional BrainGain Alliance, a job search site created to make it easier to find qualified local candidates. Responses are electronically ranked and sorted based on resume keywords.
Employers are allowed an unlimited number of ads for an annual fee based on the size of their business, ranging from $399 for a small business to $9,999 for employers of 2,400 or more.
A commercial job search site, such as Monster.com, charges $305 for a single 60 day listing, and offers ranking and sorting features based on a contractual basis. Contract fees range from $1,500 to $8,500.
