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The Work Ready Skills Initiative Advisory Committee has selected recipients for its second round of funding. Approximately $33.1 million in bond money was dispersed to 15 projects aimed at developing a highly trained workforce to meet the needs of employers and to promote sustainable incomes for Kentuckians.
“The response to the Work Ready Skills Initiative has been truly astounding,” said Gov. Matt Bevin. “This important initiative is a key component in our pursuit to make Kentucky the epicenter for engineering and manufacturing excellence in America. This historic investment in training our workforce will truly be transformative for the Commonwealth.”
The 10-member committee met Wednesday in Frankfort, to review the results of applicant interviews conducted last week. Proposals came from several state workforce areas and addressed a wide array of key industry sectors including advanced manufacturing, healthcare, technology, transportation and construction trades. Earlier this year the committee awarded more than $65.5 million to 25 projects. The $65.5 million in first-round awards leveraged $84.5 million in matching funds, including approximately $64.1 million in cash and $20.4 million in-kind.
Second round recipients include:
- Gateway Community & Technical College, $95,000
- Logan County Schools, $932,000
- Russell County Board of Education, $5,700,000Garrard County Schools, $1,346,000
- Freestore Foodbank, $267,000
- Estill County Board of Education, $5,700,000
- Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky, $2,690,000
- Kenton County Schools, $400,000
- Breckinridge County Area Technology Center, $3,325,000
- Taylor County School District, $2,375,000
- Adair County Board of Education, $238,000
- Green River/Hart County and Caverna Schools, $3,325,000
- Christian County Public Schools, $4,275,000
- Washington County Schools, $763,000
- Johnson County Schools, $1,710,000
In the second round, the $33.1 million in awards leverage $27,220,502 in matching funds, including approximately $17,365,041 in cash and $10,716,392 in-kind.
“Seeing the excitement build across Kentucky about improving our workforce has been an unforgettable experience. Since this process began in 2016, the committee has reviewed the requests of more than 150 applicants, covering the majority of our counties,” said Education and Workforce Development Cabinet Secretary Hal Heiner. “This program will bear fruit long after it ends, giving students the means to find jobs in a world exploding with technology.”
Forty-one applicants applied for the funding in April, totaling more than $165 million. Projects included requests for construction and equipping new facilities for the purpose of providing workforce training and education in top five industry sectors; renovation/upgrade of an existing facility; or purchase of new or upgraded equipment, software and furnishings. Applicants were required to be public-private partnerships that include private sector employers and high schools, secondary technical schools or postsecondary institutions.
For more information about the Kentucky Work Ready Skills Initiative, please visit www.KentuckyWorkReady.com.
Five members of the Louisville Metro Council are seeking public comment on the proposed 2017 -2018 Capital and Operating Budgets at a special community meeting on Monday, May 22nd at the Louisville Urban League.
Councilmembers Jessica Green (D-1), Mary C. Woolridge (D-3), Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4), Cheri Bryant Hamilton (D-5), and David James (D-6) are inviting their constituents to come out and share their thoughts on what should be in the upcoming budget.
“It is important to me that the citizens of District 1 have a voice in this budget process because for far too long, they have felt ignored and left out,” says Green. “I want everyone to have an understanding not only of what the process is, but what is actually in the budget in order to be able to advocate for what citizens in my community want and need.
“Everyone knows there are not unlimited resources so we invite the community to help us set priorities for funding that improves the quality of life of our residents,” says Hamilton.
“We want to reach out to everyone. It is important that we hear from folks in the neighborhoods, homeowners, and business owners.” says Sexton Smith. “We have to rely on the public to give a perspective we may not be aware of when it comes to priorities and we want to make it easier for them to participate and ask questions.”
The Metro Council Budget Committee has already begun its hearings on the budget and will spend the months of May and June reviewing Metro Government needs before a vote on June 22nd.
The Budget public meeting will be held at the Louisville Urban League, 1535 W. Broadway from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.
“We need public input into the 2017-2018 Louisville Metro Recommended Budget from the community and I am happy to make the effort to hear from taxpayers. I know it is not always easy to come downtown to City Hall due to parking constraints,” says Woolridge. “I hope everyone will attend this community meeting regarding Mayor Greg Fischer‘s Budget. Tell us what you would like to see in this Budget.”
“Bringing the budget public input process from City Hall to the community to hear what the citizens have to say about the budget is a vital step in this process,” says James. “It’s your money and we need to know how you feel about how we are spending it.”
Op-Ed by Governor Matt Bevin
On the first Saturday in May each year, the Kentucky Derby captures the attention and fascination of the world and creates special moments that will long be remembered. The Derby is truly unmatched as a sporting event and spectacle. A brief hush precedes the opening of the starting gate, followed by the roar of the crowd as the horses explode forward powerfully and majestically. The start to the Derby provides a powerful analogy for what we have experienced recently in our state. Thanks to an outstanding effort by the General Assembly and our administration, Kentucky is surging forward.
The 2017 legislative session was one of the most productive in Kentucky history. Much of our agenda was focused on making Kentucky a better place to do business. It should come as no surprise that the three largest economic development announcements in Kentucky history have occurred since January of this year. Amazon announced their decision to invest $1.5 billion in Northern Kentucky where they will build their Prime Air Hub. Toyota announced a $1.33 billion investment in their Georgetown facility. In April, Braidy Industries revealed their plans to invest $1.3 billion dollars in Greenup County, where they will build a state-of-the-art aluminum mill, creating 550 high-paying jobs. CEO, Craig Bouchard, made it clear during his remarks at the announcement that his company would not have considered locating here if Kentucky had not been a right-to-work state. Braidy, Amazon and others have also been very complimentary of our administration’s passion for recruiting businesses to Kentucky.
Just last week, LINAK U.S. announced a $33 million expansion that will create an additional 413 full-time jobs. That announcement follows companies like UWH, TG Automotive, Traughber, Perfetti van Melle, PuraCap Laboratories, Bulleit Distilling Company and dozens of others which have also recently announced expansions or groundbreakings in our state. These announcements are only the beginning. Like those Derby horses bursting from the gate, Kentucky’s economic expansion is just getting started. Stay tuned. There is more to come.
It is important to note, however, the recent legislative session was about much more than just the economy. For instance, bills were passed that will allow our children in failing schools to have an opportunity to learn in high quality public charter schools and, going forward, we will base higher education funding on school outcomes. Another bill will return more authority to local school boards. These bills, now signed into law, will introduce competition into our education system and will result in better outcomes for all our students. Additionally, we passed a medical review panel bill that will lower medical costs and a bill that will allow funding for apprenticeship programs.
Pro-life laws were created that more accurately reflect the values of our voters. Kentucky is overwhelmingly a pro-life state. Huge bipartisan support for the twenty-week abortion ban and the ultrasound bill reflect that. We also moved Planned Parenthood, the nation’s number one abortion provider, to the back of the line for federal funds.
An important criminal justice law was signed to help the children and families of those who have paid their debt to society. The law allows for work release, work opportunities within prison, and the earning of professional licenses. By helping incarcerated individuals train to get work ready, we reduce recidivism and give children and their parents a chance to be a family again.
We passed legislation to better ensure that our state treats foster children with the respect and dignity they deserve. Kentucky will now allow the courts the leeway to place these children with fictive kin. These are non-blood relatives with whom the child already has a loving relationship and who are willing to provide a home for the child. Likewise, foster kids can now obtain their driver’s license at the age of 16, enabling them to gain independence as they acquire the mobility needed to get to school or to a part-time job.
A new law was passed that will put much needed limits (a three day supply) on the amount of opioid pain medication that can be prescribed at one time. Medical professionals were asked for extensive input as this law was drafted. As a result, there are ample exclusions for physicians who are treating patients with cancer and chronic pain, as well as those on hospice care or who have valid need for additional pain medication.
These are merely a few highlights of all that was accomplished during the 2017 legislative session.
I love the name of this year’s Kentucky Derby winner, “Always Dreaming.” That is the American way. From the beginning of our administration, we have repeatedly stated our vision for Kentucky to become the center of excellence in America for engineering and advanced manufacturing and for each of us, individually and collectively, to become the best version of ourselves. The 2017 legislative session has afforded Kentucky the opportunity to get off to a roaring start towards achieving these goals. I am confident that we will succeed, because #WeAreKY.
As a way to help Metro Police and keep homes and families safe, Councilman Brandon Coan (D-8) and Councilman Bill Hollander (D-9) are partnering with officers of the LMPD Fifth Division to sponsor a Neighborhood Watch Workshop and Drug Toss on Wednesday, May 24th.
This workshop is a focused effort to increase the number of Neighborhood Watch Programs in both districts.
“We are offering citizens the tools and training to help the police keep District 8 safe. My goal is for fifty percent of all the blocks in District 8 to have registered, effective block watches by the end of 2020, and we will host these workshops quarterly until we get there,” says Councilman Coan.
The workshop will be held at the Douglass Community Center Gymnasium beginning at 6:00pm.
“Fighting crime takes everyone – police officers but also engaged residents. Getting involved in a Neighborhood Watch program is a great way to get to know your neighbors, make everyone aware of their surroundings and help our officers prevent and solve crimes,” say Councilman Hollander.
The event will teach individuals how to organize effective block watches and mobilize neighborhoods to work with police to keep everyone safe. Residents and business owners will get a chance to meet some of the officers who patrol their area while they train on how to form a good neighborhood watch program.
The workshop will also provide an opportunity for citizens to drop off old and unneeded prescription drugs to LMPD at the event for safe disposal.
For more information about the Neighborhood Block Watch and Drug Toss, contact Councilman Coan’s office at 574-1108 or Councilman Hollander’s officer at 574-1109.
Attorney General Andy Beshear issued a Scam Alert to warn Kentuckians of an email scam that relies on spoof government employee email addresses to defraud Kentuckians.
Five recent reports to Beshear’s office indicate the spoof email appears to come from a current Kentucky state government employee and solicits money in order to receive a sweepstakes prize the consumer has supposedly won.
Beshear said the content of the message might also include an official request for personal or financial information or seek payment for an outstanding debt.
“By using advanced technology to spoof actual employee email accounts, scammers are adding a new twist on impersonation scams that have traditionally been carried out over the phone,” said Beshear. “A Scam Alert was issued today to help ensure Kentuckians are aware that they should be cautious of emails that appear to be from an official government employee and legitimate email account.”
In addition to the current reports, similar instances indicate con artists are also taking on the persona of employees of the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Internal Revenue Service and a variety of local law enforcement agencies.
Beshear and his Office of Senior Protection recommend the following tips from the Federal Trade Commission to help avoid the scam:
- Do not trust, and verify. Call the government agency or employee directly to verify the email address and information. Know that government agencies will never call or email asking for immediate payment in order to receive a prize or grant.
- Do not provide financial or personal information. Never provide or confirm financial or other sensitive information, including your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number, unless you are confident that you are speaking to the correct person and organization for a legitimate purpose.
- Do not pay to win a prize. If you did not enter a sweepstakes or lottery, then you could not have won. Never pay to receive a prize or have a prize mailed. Remember, it is illegal for a sweepstakes promoter to request upfront fees, and all foreign lotteries and sweepstakes are illegal.
- Be cautious of an email request to reset a password. Scammers often use what appear to be legitimate emails to trick a user in to resetting an email account password. Once the scammer has the new account password, they can access the information in the account and use the account to scam others.
One of the critical missions of the Office of the Attorney General is to help Kentucky families, seniors and businesses recognize and avoid scams.
Beshear said that government employees are often the subject of scammers and over the past year Beshear’s office has warned of several employee impersonation scams, including: IRS scams, jury duty scam, local sheriff’s deputy scam, federal warrant scam and a business email compromise scam.
Over the past year, more than 200 reports of impersonation scams were submitted to the Office of the Attorney General. Ten of those reports account for Kentuckians losing nearly $50,000.
Beshear said the best way to stay ahead of con artists is to be aware of new and trending scams by signing up to receive Scam Alerts from the Office of the Attorney General.
Scam Alerts provide Kentuckians a direct alert, including tips on how to avoid scams reported in Kentucky. To enroll, text the words KYOAG Scam to GOV311 (468311), or enroll online at ag.ky.gov/scams and select text message or email alert.
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps congratulates Anna-Maria Beck, 17 (center) and Andrew Dunn, 14 (right), both of Louisville, on being named Kentucky’s top two youth volunteers for 2017 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Anna-Maria and Andrew were honored at a ceremony on Sunday, May 7 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, where they each received a $1,000 award. (PRNewsfoto/Prudential Insurance)
Barret Traditional Middle School student Andrew Dunn was recently honored in the nation’s capital for his outstanding volunteer service during the 22nd annual presentation of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Dunn – along with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country – received a $1,000 award and personal congratulations from Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps at a ceremony and gala dinner reception held at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), named Dunn Kentucky’s top middle level youth volunteer in February. In addition to his cash award, he received an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip with a parent to Washington, D.C., for four days of recognition events.
Dunn started a citywide campaign to mobilize students and other community members to perform random acts of kindness throughout the year. He got the idea four years ago when his parents set up an Advent calendar that challenged him to do something nice for someone every day in December. He came up with ideas such as anonymously leaving donuts for neighbors. “This got me thinking about the impact we could have if I could get all my friends involved,” he said.
Calling his campaign RAK Louisville (“Random Acts of Kindness”), he set up a website, app and social media offering ideas on how to make a positive difference in someone’s day, and talked to friends, classmates, neighbors and his soccer team about his project. Dunn worked with the mayor’s office to have December 23 proclaimed as Random Acts of Kindness Louisville Day, and two TV stations interviewed him. Today, he and the RAK Club at his school identify student-friendly service opportunities throughout the year and mobilize individuals and teams to work on a variety of projects, many of which benefit organizations serving homeless and other people in need. One of their bigger projects was organizing a Thanksgiving dinner for 168 homeless people. Dunn said he hopes RAK will expand beyond Louisville’s borders. “People want to serve but they just don’t know how to start,” he said.
“These honorees have done exemplary work to contribute to the health and vitality of their communities, and we look forward to seeing the great things they achieve in the future,” said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. “Congratulations to each of these extraordinary young volunteers.”
“It’s a privilege to celebrate these students not only for outstanding volunteer service, but for the example they’ve set for their peers,” said Jayne Ellspermann, president of NASSP. “These honorees prove that one person truly can make a difference.”
Youth volunteers in grades 5-12 were invited to apply for 2017 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards last fall through schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of the HandsOn Network. More than 31,000 middle level and high school students nationwide participated in this year’s program.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program was created in 1995 to identify and recognize young people for outstanding volunteer service – and, in so doing, inspire others to volunteer, too. In the past 22 years, the program has honored more than 120,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.
Photo: KY Education and Workforce Development
Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary April unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, according to the Office of Employment and Training (OET), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. The unemployment rate for April 2017 was up 0.1 percentage points from the 5 percent reported in March 2017.
The preliminary April 2017 jobless rate was 0.1 percentage points higher than the 5 percent rate recorded for the state in April 2016.
The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for April 2017 was 4.4 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, are based on estimates from the Current Population Survey of households. It is designed to measure trends rather than to count the actual number of people working. It includes jobs in agriculture and those classified as self-employed.
In April 2017, Kentucky’s civilian labor force was 2,082,476, an increase of 17,282 individuals compared to the previous month. Employment was up by 14,832, while the number of unemployed increased by 2,450.
“The data suggests Kentucky’s employment situation continues to improve as more residents are working,” said Kentucky Labor Market Information Director Kate Shirley Akers, Ph.D.
Akers said that the unemployment rate increased because more individuals are entering the labor market. “The increase in the unemployed rate for April appears to reflect workers who are returning to the labor force. Individuals who stopped looking for work over the past few years appear to be searching for employment again as the state’s economy has improved,” she said.
In a separate federal survey of business establishments that excludes jobs in agriculture and people who are self-employed, Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased by 600 jobs in April 2017 compared to March 2017.
“The establishment survey indicates employment increased in April, however the number of jobs added in April was lower than in the past few months,” Akers said.
Nonfarm data is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics program. According to this survey, five of Kentucky’s 11 major nonfarm North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) job sectors registered gains in employment, while five declined from the previous month and one was unchanged.
Kentucky’s leisure and hospitality sector showed the largest month-to-month increase in April 2017, growing by 1,600 jobs. This sector includes arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services.
The construction sector and the education and health services sector each added 1,500 jobs in April 2017.
Employment in Kentucky’s construction sector for April 2017 was 4,000 higher than in April 2016. This represents an increase of 5.2 percent. The education and health services sector was also 4,000 or 1.5 percent higher in April 2017 than in April 2016.
The financial activities sector added 500 jobs in April 2017. Since April 2016, this sector gained 2,600 jobs or 2.8 percent.
Other services, which includes repairs and maintenance, personal care services, and religious organizations, increased by 800 jobs since March 2017 and 1,900 since April 2017.
Information sector jobs remained steady in April 2017 but has risen by 1,200 jobs since April 2016. The industries in this sector include traditional publishing as well as software publishing; motion pictures and broadcasting; and telecommunications.
Manufacturing declined by 2,900 jobs since March 2017. “Manufacturing employment varies from month-to month. While April showed a decline, the number of manufacturing jobs in Kentucky has steadily increased since the recession,” Akers said.
Since April 2016, manufacturing was up 4,200 jobs or 1.7 percent. Most of the decrease from March 2017 to April 2017 was in durable manufacturing, which accounted for 2,500 of the 2,900 decrease in manufacturing. Nondurable manufacturing accounted for the remainder of the decrease this month.
Trade, transportation, and utilities sector decreased by 1,300 from March 2017 to April 2017. Since April 2016, this sector is up 4,400 jobs or 1.1 percent.
Government employment declined by 500 jobs in April. Government jobs include public education, public administration agencies and state-owned hospitals.
Professional and business services declined by 400 jobs from March 2017 to April 2017. Over the past 12 months, however, this sector has increased by 7,900 jobs or 3.7 percent.
The mining and logging sector declined by 200 jobs in April 2017.
Civilian labor force statistics include nonmilitary workers and unemployed Kentuckians who are actively seeking work. They do not include unemployed Kentuckians who have not looked for employment within the past four weeks.
Kentucky’s statewide unemployment rate and employment levels are seasonally adjusted. Employment statistics undergo sharp fluctuations due to seasonal events, such as weather changes, harvests, holidays and school openings and closings. Seasonal adjustments eliminate these influences and make it easier to observe statistical trends. However, because of the small sample size, county unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Learn more about the Office of Employment and Training at http://www.kylmi.ky.gov/.