Platform to Employment Program Gets CT State Funding

KRA Corporation was pleased to learn last week that the Platform to Employment (P2E) Program received a boost with Connecticut (CT) Governor Dannel Malloy proposing to dedicate $3.6 million to create a statewide P2E initiative.  This action represents the first full-state commitment to the Program, as well as the first public dedicated dollars.

We were especially pleased to learn this week that KRA will be implementing the P2E Program in CT’s Northcentral Region through CTWorks, funded by Capital Workforce Partners, one of the State’s five Workforce Investment Boards (WIB).  Based in Hartford, this 37-town, multi-site program includes a One-Stop Career Center operation---a partner-program in the American Job Center system---for WIA-eligible Adult/Dislocated Workers, as well as a TANF-funded Jobs First Employment Services Program.

The CT P2E partnership, including the State’s five WIBS, with guidance from the CT Department of Labor, would seek to utilize elements of the successful program to get some 500 long-term unemployed (LTU) residents back into full-time employment.

Targeting those LTU jobseekers who have exhausted their unemployment benefits, P2E provides a 5-week intensive job-preparation program, access to behavioral health services, financial coaching, and then an 8-week subsidized employment internship.  The original P2E pilot program, tested in CT’s Southwestern Region, under the auspices of The Workplace, the WIB for the Region, demonstrated that 8 out of 10 subsidized internships placements resulted in full-time jobs!

More than simply job training, the wraparound approach offered by P2E gives those who have been out of the workforce for an extended period of time a more comprehensive chance at adapting to the rigors of the job-seeking environment—one that transcends simple job preparedness, providing them with tools, the foot in the door, and renewed confidence to be successful in and out of the workplace.

Aimed at Veterans 30 years of age or younger and individuals 50 years of age or older, the P2E initiative was funded by the Wal-Mart Foundation, Citi Community Development, and the AARP Foundation through The Workforce.  The success of the first pilot, demonstrating an impressive 80% unsubsidized job-placement rate, prompted the funding of 10 additional P2E pilots across the country, one of which was implemented by KRA Corporation under the auspices of the San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP).

As the operator of the San Diego Metro Region America’s Job Centers of California program, for the SDWP, the P2E pilot implemented by KRA experienced an unsubsidized job-placement rate similar to that of the original CT pilot.

KRA Corporation is proud to have been a part of this ground-breaking initiative to support our LTU jobseekers, and  was pleased to have reported several customer success stories.  Now, we are eager to implement the P2E Program in Northcentral CT, assisting a selected number of those 500 LTU jobseekers in getting their careers and lives back on track.