Mayor Andy Berke will launch “Workforce Outreach” on Monday, a new public engagement campaign that will work in a variety of ways to connect Chattanoogans in some of the city’s most disinvested neighborhoods with opportunities to complete their education, enhance their skills, and find new or better jobs.
"Chattanooga’s economy is performing well, but that means we need to be making even more significant investments in reaching out and pulling people up,” Mayor Berke said. “A strong workforce is directly linked to so many other positive outcomes in our city. A higher wage allows people repair their homes, save for their children's education, or simply enjoy more of what our city has to offer. Workforce Outreach is about literally meeting people where they live so we can make sure they know about the many things that local government and our partners can be doing to help them boost their wages, grow their skills, and find more stable and rewarding jobs.”
Over the course of the next 50 weeks, Workforce Outreach staff intends to connect at least 3,500 people to jobs, skills training, or education. Door-to-door canvassing, phone calls to constituents, direct mail, and dropboxes in key places in each neighborhood are among the communication methods that will be deployed as part of the campaign.
A kickoff with Mayor Berke, Councilman Erskine Oglesby, and the Office of Workforce Development will be held Monday from 12-1:30 p.m. at Southside Community Park and Alton Park neighborhood.
Workforce Outreach will be administered by the city’s new Office of Workforce Development within the city’s Department of Economic & Community Development, and follows a campaign promise made during Mayor Berke’s 2017 re-election campaign to build a pipeline of opportunities for people seeking employment.
The Office of Workforce Development is led by Kent Burnes, a business and workforce development consultant with more than 28 years of experience. Mr. Burnes joined the city of Chattanooga in early 2018.
“Often what we find when we are working with unemployed or underemployed people is that a communication gap exists within our community,” Mr. Burnes said. “People have skills but aren’t aware that companies are hiring. Employers want workers, but don’t know where to look for them. Workforce Outreach wants to bridge those gaps and help everyone grow together.”
The Office of Workforce Development is aligned with numerous local businesses and organizations that are focused on job development in the city. The Workforce Outreach campaign will involve partners such as the American Job Center, the Educational Opportunity Center, and local employers as well as neighborhood organizations dedicated to serving specific neighborhoods such as the Bethlehem Center and the Northside Neighborhood House.
The July 23 kick-off event at Southside Community Park will be followed by an afternoon of door-to-door canvassing in the Alton Park neighborhood by Mayor Berke, City Councilman Erskine Oglesby, Jr. and ECD staff.
"It’s no secret that while some parts of Chattanooga are doing great, some areas of our city continue to struggle with unemployment, disinvestment, and chronic poverty,” Councilman Oglesby said. “We owe it to ourselves and future generations of Chattanoogans to use our current economic momentum to pull everyone forward so that everyone can benefit from a great job at a good wage.”
For more information visit https://connect.chattanooga.gov/workforce-development/.