The Kentucky Arts, Education, and Humanities Cabinet’s Workforce Opportunity Expansion project targeted areas of Kentucky with high poverty and unemployment levels. In these communities, public libraries are, for many, the only source of online access to employment information, unemployment benefits, and training opportunities. The project installed more than 730 workstations to encourage workforce development and partnered with community organizations to provide workforce training to approximately 28,200 community members. For example, Adult Education offices provided training to help community members prepare for the GED, even using mobile labs to reach out to students.

The libraries also helped job seekers gain and build skills to help them find jobs in the region. For example, many libraries generated weekly lists of jobs available in their areas. After hearing about these efforts, a local small business contacted a library and asked for help finding a part-time employee. The library referred several people who had attended their classes to the business, which ultimately hired one of those candidates.

Governor Steve Beshear said, “Our local public libraries have become an important community access point for people to search for jobs, write resumes and learn computer skills. These centers will provide a direct link to help for people in areas with high unemployment levels.”