CareerSource Pinellas is launching a new series of programs to get county residents back in the workforce.
“PinellasWorks is designed to help any job seeker that has lost their job or had an unemployment impact based on COVID (after March 1, 2020),” said Jennifer Brackney, CEO of CareerSource Pinellas.
The county has set aside $2 million in federal CARES Act funding to help workers and businesses that have been impacted by the pandemic.
“The goal for this program is to get new employees and to have an opportunity for these job seekers to learn new skills and to get back to work,” said Brackney.
PinellasWorks connects businesses and job seekers together to offer on-the-job training opportunities, direct job placement, short-term occupational skills training certifications, and supportive services.
Brackney said there are five main industry sectors that will be focused on: healthcare, information technology, construction, financial and professional services, and customer service and retail.
Businesses that would like to provide training must have been open for at least one year, and suffered economic impacts due to COVID-19.
According to Brackney, PinellasWorks is targeting around 200 to 250 job seekers for these programs.
“Right now, we have about 25 employers that are interested in hiring individuals,” she said. “And they have between 50 and 75 job openings.”
Training for these positions will be done based on how the vendor is set up, according to Brackney.
“If there’s a short-term training program...it could be in-person or it could be virtual, depending on how that particular [business] is offering the training,” she said.
On-the-job training opportunities for both businesses and residents will last a minimum of 30 days. These programs must be completed by Dec. 15, 2020.
Applications for PinellasWorks can be found and filled out online.
“There’s an application for both job seekers and employers,” said Brackney. “Simply go in, fill out the initial profiles and that lets us know if you meet the basic criteria.”
