Eckerd Kids Awarded Largest Workforce Development Contract In Their History
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Adrienne Drew
C (727) 902-3287
E adrew@eckerd.org
CLEARWATER, FL (December 29, 2016) – Eckerd Kids recently announced they have been awarded one of the largest workforce development contracts in their history. The U.S Department of Labor (DOL) awarded Eckerd Kids $4.5 million dollars over the next three years to plan and implement a reentry demonstration project for young adults in East Tampa, Washington D.C and South Carolina titled Employment Pathways Collaborative (EPC). In addition to the contract, this is also the first federal grant Eckerd Kids has been awarded directly from the Department of Labor.
Employment Pathways Collaborative will specifically help justice involved young adult’s ages 18 to 24 with job training and a path to meaningful employment. The reentry project will serve as a pathway to open the door to future potential workforce opportunities with the Department of Labor who through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) fund over $10 billion annually in training and education programming.
Eckerd Kids, via their Paxen affiliation, operates workforce development programs which provide education enhancement, employment training, and job placement services for youth aged 16-24 years old. Paxen specializes in developing and delivering training programs that build academic, life and employability skills for at-risk youths and out-of-work adults – many of whom are economically and socially disadvantaged with educational deficiencies that impede or compound employment opportunities
“This is a great way to kick off our fiscal year for 2017, said Jonathan Zeigler, Paxen’s VP of Operations. We have already identified primary goals for the EPC program which include items such as achieving educational milestones, producing literacy gains and creating a clear pathway for young offenders returning to their home. I couldn’t be more pleased with the proposed outcomes we have in place, “said Zeigler.
The Employment Pathways Collaborative teams will be hosting open house events in January to educate their local communities about the new work readiness services in place.