The Knoxville Leadership Foundation helps get people back on track towards finding and keeping a job.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With the number of available positions hitting record highs in June, the U.S. now has more job openings than at any other time in history. As the economy rebounds amid the pandemic, even businesses here in Knoxville are scrambling to hire staff.
Knoxworx, a part of the Knoxville Leadership Foundation, is working to help the issue by providing people the tools they need to find a job.
“What we do here at KnoxWorks is basically we help people find jobs,” said Chantelle Faircloth, the Assistant Director of the program.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Labor reported the number of open jobs soared to a record 10.1 million in June. Only 6.7 million workers were hired. The gap between openings and hiring suggests firms are struggling to find workers.
“We plan to keep recruiting as many kids as possible. So as many kids as we can reach, we want to get,” said Tony Gunn, the Recruiting Outreach Director.
Knoxworx is actively enrolling in their free workforce development program, which gives hands-on training meant to help people who feel stuck find a clear path and a successful career.
“These folks might have some charges in the past and that’s a big barrier and so as we know, a lot of folks, when they have those legal barriers it’s hard to find jobs,” Faircloth said.
Even though so many businesses are hiring — getting hired can be a tough task. The program specializes in high school equivalency, developing employability skills and training in specific areas of interest.
“One of the things that I love the most about my job is being able to see people transform,” Faircloth said.
The program is geared toward helping people between 18-24 years old fill positions that are in high demand across the area.
“For all the jobs and employers out there, our kids are going to be ready and they’re going to be trained and they’re going to be awesome,” Gunn said.
Knoxworx is enrolling new students into the Workforce Development Program each week. The next orientation is August 18. Click here to learn more.
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