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FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 24, 2021) — Gov. Andy Beshear announced a new incentive plan today to pay as many as 15,000 Kentuckians on unemployment insurance a one-time $1,500 bonus to rejoin the workforce by July 30.
The Governor set aside $22.5 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to pay for the program to incentivize more people to leave unemployment insurance and begin filling job vacancies throughout the commonwealth, to further ignite an economy that is beginning to lift off as Kentucky emerges from the pandemic with weekly job announcements and positive economic news.
“We want every Kentuckian working and participating as we sprint out of this pandemic with our economy booming,” Gov. Beshear said. “We wanted the right solution – not a red state or blue state solution – to thread this needle right to energize our thriving economy while looking out for those still trying to emerge from this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic who desperately need help. This is a step in the right direction for our people, our economy and our employers.”
“On behalf of Houchens Industries, its family of companies and the entire community, we applaud the Governor’s action taken today to incentivize employees to return to work,” said Spencer A. Coates, president of Houchens Industries Inc. in Bowling Green.
To qualify, an applicant must:
- Be a Kentucky resident;
- Be employed by a Kentucky business between June 24 and July 30, 2021; and
- Have an active unemployment insurance claim as of June 23, 2021.
Employers will be responsible for completing an online application verifying that employees accepted employment between June 24 and July 30, 2021. They must also verify that employees worked 120 hours in the four weeks following new employment.
A full outline of the criteria to qualify is available on the Back to Work Incentive website, teamkybacktowork.ky.gov. The application will be available beginning Aug. 1.
The first 15,000 people to successfully qualify will be approved for a $1,500 taxable incentive. The last day to file an application for the Team Kentucky Back to Work Incentive is Oct. 1, 2021.
The Public Protection Cabinet will administer the program and process applications.
The incentive plan is the latest effort from Gov. Beshear and his administration to continue the commonwealth’s economic momentum as the state builds back stronger following the effects of the pandemic.
Last week, Gov. Beshear announced Kentucky’s year-to-date private-sector new-location and expansion figures, which include over $2 billion in total planned investment and the creation of 4,000-plus full-time jobs across the coming years. Through May, Kentucky’s average incentivized hourly wage is $23.15 before benefits, a 4.7% increase over the previous year.
Last month, Moody’s Analytics published a positive economic outlook for Kentucky, noting mass vaccination as the driving force behind a sustained recovery in consumer services. The state’s recovery, Moody’s said, benefited from earlier reopening efforts and increased demand for manufactured goods over services. The report also found Kentucky’s manufacturing industry outperformed the nation’s since the national downturn last year.
Fitch Ratings last month improved the state’s financial outlook to stable, reflecting the commonwealth’s solid economic recovery. The state’s April sales tax receipts set an all-time monthly record at $486.5 million, as did vehicle usage tax receipts at over $64 million.
In March, Site Selection magazine’s annual Governor’s Cup rankings for 2020 positioned Kentucky atop the South Central region, and third nationally, for qualifying projects per capita. The commonwealth also placed seventh overall in total projects, the highest of any state with a population under 5 million. Site Selection also recently placed Kentucky in a tie for fifth in its 2021 Prosperity Cup rankings, positioning the state among the national leaders for business climate.
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May 25, 2021 — “Commonwealth Coders” a 16-week training course that prepares participants for a career as a Junior Web Developer will debut across the state this fall as a collaborative effort between the Bluegrass, Cumberlands, Northern Kentucky, and South Central Workforce Boards. The course, led by BC Skills Development Academy, was initially piloted between the South Central and Cumberlands Workforce Development Boards as a hybrid effort this spring. The success of that initial venture and the growing demand for web developers, especially ones who can work remotely, led to the course’s expansion.
The course is set to be in a hybrid format for South Central and Cumberlands participants while completely virtual for Bluegrass and Northern Kentucky students. While no previous computer/coding experience is required, solid algebra skills along with a strong determination to succeed are both highly recommended for participants.
The training, valued at around $15,000 total, will be offered at little to no cost to those who are eligible, including many individuals who have lost their job due to the pandemic. After a student completes the course, they will be ready to enter the workforce as a Junior Web Developer, a job with an average starting salary of over $60,000 in Kentucky. Lyndsey Brown, Economic Recovery Coordinator for both Cumberlands and South Central Workforce Development Board, describes the course as “life-changing” explaining, “I was able to see some participants go from being unemployed to being full-time web developers and other participants go from being underemployed to providing their family with a web developer income.”
The course cap is currently set for fifty students total. With a combined 48 counties represented by the four boards, that equates to around one student per county, making student selection quite competitive; however, all potential students are highly encouraged to complete an initial no-obligation interest survey.
Justin Browning, Project Manager for BC Skills Development Academy, said that this type of program is unique in that it helps promote tech jobs in rural areas of the state. Browning explains, “We want to skill up our communities and let them know that it’s possible for rural Kentucky to push out as many innovators as you have coming out of the west coast. We can do it, we just have to build that culture.”
For more information or to complete an interest form for the Commonwealth Coders program, please visit www.commonwealthcoders.com
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The Cumberlands Workforce Development Board leads the development and implementation of a highly effective workforce development system in the thirteen counties of Central Kentucky in collaboration with business, economic development, education, and community organizations in the labor market area. For more information about the Cumberlands Workforce Development Board, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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The Cumberlands Workforce Development Board would like to express congratulations to the graduates of the Web Development Training powered by BC Skills Development Academy. We are so excited about this program and for the graduates to begin their new careers in the tech economy.
The Cumberlands Workforce Development Board will be partnering with BC Skills Development Academy to offer the same program in the fall of this year. Stay connected to our social media channels for website and application announcements.
Below, Myra Wilson, Director of Workforce Developments for the Cumberlands region, and Justin Browning, Project Manager of BC Skills Development Academy addressed and commended the graduates for their successes.
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The Somerset office of the Kentucky Career Center - Cumberlands will be open for Unemployment Insurance visits BY APPOINTMENT ONLY effective April 15, 2021.
All appointments are scheduled online at kcc.ky.gov. You MUST have an appointment to enter the career center. NOTE: all currently available appointments have been filled. Please check back for availability of future appointments.
IF YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT:
- Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before your scheduled time.
- Appointments must park in the back parking lot (except handicap parking in the front of the building).
- Please stay in your car until 5 minutes before appointment.
- Appointments must enter through the front door and exit through the back door.
- Must have an ID and wear a mask to enter the building.
- Temperature will be checked upon entering the building.
Kentucky Career Center - Somerset
410 E. Mt. Vernon St.
Somerset, Ky. 42501
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