2月23日, 2016, Director of Economic Development Marjette Upshur presented “Lynchburg’s Economic Ecosystem: Equipping businesses, 通过创造性的劳动力发展赋予公民权力”,林奇堡市议会. 该演讲特别概述了两项新举措:TechHire和CO.开胃菜.
{{cta(“eed6c761 bc50 - 4692 - 8 b5a b8e2c6c97c7a”)}}
以下是她的叙述陈述的节选. 厄普舒尔对市议会说:
“Two weeks ago, City Council heard an update on the City’s plan to address a poverty rate of 20% +. 会议强调了对劳动力发展的重视, 同时继续致力于“摆脱贫困的桥梁倡议”.
The Office of Economic Development is placing a strategic focus on 企业家精神和经济赋权 to help close this gap for Lynchburg’s citizens with barriers to employment.
经济发展具有不可思议的多面性. 我们围绕六大战略重点组织经济建设工作.
- 商业吸引力 includes efforts to position and market Lynchburg as a destination for business location.
- 业务保留和扩展 is a critical area of growth in the City as we know that the majority of job creation comes from the expansion of existing businesses. We do this work by providing resources and support to both retain businesses in the City and encourage expansion.
- 基础设施 包括现有的交通、通讯和公用事业网络. We work in partnership to ensure that the infrastructure needs of the business community are served.
- 人才发展 是金融城招聘和留住人才的关键工具. 我们正在与教育机构合作, 劳动力支持组织和雇主创造有才能的工人的管道.
- 创业 包括开发和支持一个支持创业的生态系统, 包括教育机会, 资金来源和指导/指导
- 经济赋权 公民为自己带来经济变化的能力吗. This is woven into the programs and initiatives that have come out of the Office of Economic Development to strengthen our local economy.
今天,我们重点介绍两个支持人才发展的项目, 企业家精神和经济赋权.
这个数字代表一个林奇堡公民——男人、女人、年轻人、老人等等.
We are developing two ways for citizens to enter or reenter the workforce or start his/her own business. 首先,我要向她介绍一下TechHire计划.
TechHire is a White House Initiative designed to prepare a pipeline of workers for 21st century jobs. TechHire aims to increase the speed and agility with which we train new, skilled professionals. TechHire provides Lynchburg a platform to expand models for training that prepare student for the workforce in months, 而不是几年. The TechHire initiative began in the spring of 2015 with 20 communities across the country.
林奇堡市于2015年8月被指定为TechHire社区. 在12月, the Department of Labor announced $100 million to support communities who are using the TechHIre platform to create a pipeline to train citizens with barriers to employment through accelerated learning programs. The Office of Economic Development has engaged 14 employer partners who have pledged paid apprenticeships and will make application to the Department of Labor in March for $2.200万年.
The Department of Labor grant supports accelerated training programs for citizens age 17-29 facing a barrier to employment in H1B industries– Health Care, 先进制造, 而且它. 到目前为止, our office is working with Lynchburg employers to provide a projected 468 paid apprenticeships over four years to citizens that complete an accelerated learning program.
We will work with our partners at nonprofit organizations and agencies across the City and the region to identify people to enter the TechHire pipeline.
A citizen will enter an accelerated learning program either provided by a training partner or taught by the employer. 雇主同意在学生满意地完成课程后雇用学生. 补助金可抵销培训及学徒培训的费用,最高可达90%.
For example, Lynchburg City Schools is seeking new talent to fill gaps in their IT department. Lynchburg City Schools has pledged to train and provide an apprenticeship to 2 participants per year. The participant will spend 8-12 weeks in an accelerated learning program to develop basic skills, 然后进入3-6个月的带薪学徒期.
下一个, we will walk through a new opportunity for a Lynchburg citizen to start his/her own business through the CO.开始计划.
CO.开胃菜是一个为期九周的项目,旨在为有抱负的企业家提供洞察力, 的关系, and tools needed to turn business ideas into action and turn a passion into a sustainable and thriving business. CO.开胃菜创建于查塔努加, TN, 并已在全国40多个社区成功实施.
CO.开胃菜 is a collaborative process with a small and supportive group of like-minded entrepreneurs. CO.先发队由一个当地人领导, trained facilitator who will help participants identify the assumptions about why and how a business will work and then talk to customers in order to validate the idea. This approach enables a participant to rapidly uncover flaws in the business concept and find viable models more quickly.
每个星期, seasoned Lynchburg entrepreneurs will speak to the group on a topic and serve as mentors to participants, 在创业社区中建立有意义的关系. 的有限公司.开胃菜 canvas leads participants through all of the steps to create a sustainable, viable business.
在12月, 林奇堡经济发展局获得了60美元的奖金,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development to grow and support our community of entrepreneurs. 这笔资金将为我们在当地成立CO提供资金.开胃菜, 提供40美元,小型企业补助金, provide 100-plus pro bono service hours and build a web portal for future entrepreneurial resources and educational support.
We have received so much interest that we have had to create another cohort this spring to meet the demand. Applicants are represented from across the City and with a wide array of business ideas.
Our office has looked toward The Democracy Collaborative for guidance on best practice in economic empowerment. The Democracy Collaborative is an organization whose mission is to catalyze the transformation of our economy and work to build community wealth based on broadening stewardship over capital, 工作场所的民主, 稳定社区,强调地方性, 公平和包容性增长与环境, 社会和制度的可持续性.
So, what are our next steps to support 企业家精神和经济赋权 efforts?
- 开始CO.初学者班- 3月14日开始2组th
- Celebrate success in June with a week-long focus on innovation in the City – we are in the planning stages for this now.
感谢大家给我这个机会与大家分享这些激动人心的新举措. 我们很乐意回答您的任何问题.”