ABM Industries successful hiring event leads to a stronger relationship with Workforce Partnership
Kansas City, KS | January 29, 2021: ABM Industries Inc., a leader in facility management, founded in 1909 in California as a single-person window washing business, grew exponentially through the years and has evolved into an integrated facility solutions firm employing 140,000 skilled workers as of 2019, working in an array of businesses across the nation.
The Amazon Fulfillment Center in Kanas City, Kansas, has retained the services of ABM Industries to handle an array of their day-to-day facility needs. ABM positions within Amazon of KCK are permanent, with benefits and advancement opportunities.
ABM held a hiring event on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, from 10 AM to 4 PM, at Workforce Partnership – Wyandotte County location. Available positions included Cleaners, Corrugate Techs, and Floor Techs.
The Wyandotte County Workforce Center sent out flyers from the employer for 3 weeks in advance to all Community Partners and Agencies, and posted the positions in-house. Despite cold and snowy weather that typically suppresses turnout for such events, numerous job seekers began to arrive an hour before the event’s start time. When the ABM recruiter arrived there were 5 job seekers already waiting, causing the recruiter to immediately phone for back-up to assist with the soon growing numbers of job seekers. Job seekers completed online applications on Career Center PCs and then immediately interviewed for positions. ABM recruiters spoke with 35 job seekers and made job offers to 33 of those 35. Background checks were initiated immediately after an interview. Some job seekers actually received a text message before they walked out of the Center doors confirming their hire, and conveying a start date and an initial work schedule.
The employer was very excited and VERY SATISFIED. They filled all their openings at this single event.
Kansas City, KS | December 22, 2021: In October, the WYCO Works program’s initial training took place at the Workforce Partnership Wyandotte County office. One of the organizations present was the Bethel Neighborhood Center of Kansas City, Kansas. Mang Sonna, Executive Director, contacted Eliza Barr about job search and placement services for some clients. In particular, two clients happened to be non-English speakers (both speak Burmese and possess minimal English language skills). The two job seekers initially were interested in the CARES Act program, but the timing of their applications and the nature of their circumstances did not align with CARES Act training opportunities. However, as is customary, we examined other offerings and potential resources that we might bring to bear on behalf of these two customers. We saw the potential benefits for OJT and immediately reviewed our business contacts to see if we had any employers that could support these Burmese-speaking individuals. Through our research and review of business contacts in Wyandotte County, we recalled that Empire Candle had partnered with the Wyandotte Workforce Center in the past for hiring fairs, on-site interviews, and referrals to open positions. Empire Candle also had some history of accommodating multiple languages at their facility. Molly Turney, Site Manager, contacted Empire Candle to discuss the benefits of the On the Job Training (OJT) program through the Workforce Center and shared a little information about these two customers. Langley/Empire has been in business for more than 65 years, and its headquarters is in Kansas City, KS. As the name implies, they manufacture candles, fragrance warmers, and melts for residential/home applications. In reconnecting with Empire, we learned that they currently supported seven different languages within their Fairfax facility. As it turned out, this included the Burmese language.
Workforce Partnership followed-up with Mang Sonna of Bethel Neighborhood Center about our OJT program and these opportunities at Empire. He confirmed that the two clients in question possessed strong work ethics and were eager to land gainful employment, and most definitely would be interested in further exploring these opportunities. The individuals had by this time been screened and found eligible for WIOA funding. Through the Bethel Neighborhood Center and Empire Candle’s collaborative efforts, we placed these two individuals in OJTs at Empire Candle. Both individuals began working on 1/12/21, full-time, at $13.00/hour to start, as Production Team Members. They receive hands-on job-based training and mentoring from a seasoned Empire Candle supervisor who also speaks fluent Burmese.
“I am very impressed by the caring hearts and the understanding shown by the Workforce Partnership Team and those at the Empire Candle. You are all doing amazing jobs in making our community members feel welcome in both the places.”
– Mang Sonna
Workforce Partnership Receives More Than $4 Million in Coronavirus Relief Funds for Short-Term Skills Training and Support
Lenexa, KS |October 6, 2020: Workforce Partnership received more than $4 million in Coronavirus relief funds for short-term skills training and support. Workforce Partnership in collaboration with Johnson County Community College, the University of Kansas, and other training providers will be providing career and educational training to anyone living in Johnson County whose employment has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This program, known as JOCO KS Works, is funded by Johnson County using CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) dollars. To be eligible for the program, candidates must be Johnson County residents, have had their employment negatively impacted by COVID-19, and be eligible to work in the United States. If you or someone you know meets these requirements, please visit Workforce Partnership – Johnson County. Workforce Partnership’s career navigators will help candidates enroll for the program, create a KansasWorks account, apply for any jobs they are interested in, and help them explore the classroom and work-based training courses provided by JCCC, KU, and other training providers. These courses, along with paid on-the-job training opportunities, are available at no cost to people who qualify. If you have questions about the CARES Act, eligibility, or the types of training available, please visit Workforce Partnership – Johnson County or call (913) 577-5900.
If you are not eligible for CARES Act funding, but would like to go back to school or up-skill, Workforce Partnership also offers many other services and programs at no cost to you that can help place you on the path towards your educational and career goals.