The federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) provides incumbent worker training, on-the-job training, work experience, apprenticeships, and Individual Training Accounts. Training is usually offered through community and technical colleges, universities, private for profit organizations, and businesses. Through a variety of training programs, WIA helps eligible individuals find self-sustaining employment.
The state is divided into 10 Local Workforce Investment Areas (LWIAs), which work closely with us at the Kentucky Career Center. Each area has one or more career centers to assist individuals and to provide information about available WIA programs and eligibility requirements. WIA eligibility standards include age, income level, education and skills, and work circumstances. For example, someone who has been laid off or who has received notice of a layoff as a result of a permanent closure or substantial layoff at a plant may be eligible for special assistance.
For more information or to find an office near you, please visit our office locator.
Some programs are designed especially for youth who are between 14 and 21 and have very limited income. Other programs are designed for adults 18 years of age and older.
Click here for more information on Kentucky’s training providers.
The Kentucky Career Center and its partners make convenient, no-cost resources available to help employers find qualified workers. You can access our services here on this website or at any of our convenient locations around the state.
Career centers are the focal point of Kentucky’s workforce system, where workers and employers connect. The centers provide recruitment services to employers and job search and skill training services to workers. Career centers match companies that need employees with workers who need jobs.
The career center can:
- assist employers in locating qualified job applicants;
- screen and test job seekers to match their needs;
- fund eligible on-the-job training and customized training needs;
- arrange space for job interviews, and in some areas, schedule interviews via video conferencing;
- provide access to detailed labor market information for the local area, Kentucky, and the nation;
- provide services to help both employer and employees when facing layoffs or other major issues;
- offer unemployment insurance information and contacts;
- make connections with vocational rehabilitation services (for people with disabilities) and services for the blind.
See link for more information.