Good Jobs Challenge Grant still available in 58 county area around Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – The Good Jobs Challenge Grant provides financial assistance for short-term training in three main fields of employment and so far a number of people have taken advantage of the workforce improvement aid.

In 2022 Springfield was one of 32 cities around the country to receive $17.5 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration which was to be used to provide training and assistance from local businesses, organizations and schools in the fields of education, healthcare and transportation.

The goal? To provide apprenticeships and financial support to help people reach their career goals. According to the City of Springfield Workforce Development website: “The grant establishes the creation of a Regional Workforce Alliance which is comprised of five workforce regions encompassing approximately 58 counties in southern and central Missouri. The grant targets unemployed, underemployed or incumbent workers within the designated service area focusing on historically underserved populations to provide job training and placement.”

Officials say that so far the results are positive.

“So far we’ve enrolled 1,684 participants in the 58 county region,” pointed out Kathryn Proctor, the Communications Coordinator with the Missouri Job Center and Department of Workforce Development. “This grant aims to help train individuals who are maybe from an underserved population or individuals who just want to skill-up into a career that will allow them to make more money than what they currently are in now. Not everybody has a four-year path to go to college and so we want to provide this training opportunity for those individuals so they can make a livable wage to be able to support themselves and their families.”

The eligibility requirements are only that you live in the 58 county coverage area (which can be viewed on the website) and be at least 18 years-old. But the website does also point out that the priority of service will be:

• Veterans
• Spouse of a Veteran
• Unemployed
• Underemployed or incumbent workers in low-skilled jobs
• Disconnected youth
• Individuals in recovery
• Justice involved individuals
• Historically underserved populations and areas
• Communities of color
• Women
• Individuals with disabilities
• Individuals participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC)

“But once again the grant is open to anyone 18 years-or-older, who lives in the 58 county area and who wants to pursue a career in one of the three areas that the grant covers,” Proctor said. “And we still have two more years for this grant to enroll individuals.”

One example of the grant can be found at Missouri State University In the education career path where those overseeing the grant help to find more financial aid and on-the-job training for those wanting to go into workforce-depleted areas like special education.

“Maybe it’s someone working as a substitute teacher or a para-educator in a school district,” explained Reesha Adamson, an Associate Dean with MSU’s School of Special Education. “But if you feel that you have a calling to do something else, how can you transition to that new credential so that you can be a K-12 teacher? With our partnership with the Job Center we encourage our students to go explore what resources are available to support them with tuition, child care or transportation. Just many of the barriers that prevent people from being able to look at educational careers. All this also helps fulfill a big need in our community as we know our schools are struggling to fill positions. But this grant is making a big difference. We’ve seen significant increases, sometimes as much as 200 percent in the programs we’ve had. That means we’re producing twice as many teachers out there. I know it’s filling a need across the Ozarks and it’s helping us fill those pathways. None of this would be possible without our K-12 partners, the public schools who train those individuals. And many of the people we’re helping are not college age. Now it’s typically 40-or-above with some of them single households where they re the only income. Many of them have children which is a part of the attraction to education because they want to have the same schedules as their children. So this becomes a real sustainable workforce choice for them.”

Applications for the Good Jobs Challenge grant are available on the Springfield Workforce Development Webpage at goodjobs@springfieldmo.gov.

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