CCWA is excited to collaborate with the Capital Region Workforce Partnership (CRWP) and other regional partners in directly connecting to job seekers impacted by COVID-19, thanks to a Go Virginia grant announced last week. Utilizing an information exchange with the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), the CRWP and CCWA, in partnership with Reynolds and John Tyler community colleges will proactively reach out to the more than 110,000 residents of the Greater Richmond and Petersburg areas who have lost their jobs during the pandemic.
Along with job services, the grant initiative will support the delivery of skills assessments and training to prepare job seekers for re-entry into the workforce. Job seekers accessing a new portal will find chat features and direct phone numbers to job assistance. The vision is to provide personal outreach to those who have applied for unemployment insurance benefits at a level not previously envisioned.
In the coming weeks, CCWA and CRWP will make initial email contact with individuals receiving unemployment benefits encouraging them to visit a portal organized into “zones” featuring jobs with immediate openings; career interest and aptitude assessments; training and education opportunities; virtual workshops on job searching and interviewing; and, connections to support services such as transportation and child care.
Read more here from the Richmond Times Dispatch (June 23, 2020):
