Maricopa County’s Board of Supervisors recently approved funding to renew a program that brings accelerated job training to rural communities, teaching skills that line up with local job opportunities.
Jared Beard with the county says that since its launch last year, the Workforce 2 You program has strived to be stable enough to outlive the funding infusion that renewed it.
“We worked closely with the local towns and municipalities that we’re partnering with, in Queen Creek, Gila Bend and Wickenburg, to identify: What would be good, and what’s useful in your community?” Beard explained.
Now, he said, they’re expanding entry-level courses for skills like managing digital health care records and advanced manufacturing.
“The vast majority of our participants actually fall between the ages of 35 and 50,” said Beard, “and so it's never too late to get involved.”
Beard said the goal was for the program to benefit anyone who may need a change in their career, with an emphasis on veterans and those who are low income.
“A dislocated worker refers to someone who is recently displaced from their job or someone who's had an unexpected change in their circumstances as it relates to employment and income,” said Beard. “So that loops in maybe a displaced homemaker — just people who are really needing kind of a fresh start or a new opportunity.”
Participants also receive free assistance with transportation, tools and other supplies.
