The Little Rock Workforce Development Board (Board) seeks to provide opportunity and access to targeted training and education that leads to a career with gainful employment for every Little Rock job seeker. In particular, the LRWDB strives to remove barriers for hard-to-reach populations like returning citizens, individuals with disabilities, veterans, homeless individuals, and individuals speaking English as a second language (ESL). In fact, the LRWDB has established a standing committee to address the continuous improvement of services to individuals with disabilities. The LRWDB also asks Veterans at every point of contact to identify themselves so that they can be provided with a priority of service in honor of their service to country.
Job seekers in the Little Rock Workforce Development Area (LRWDA) face many barriers to employment:
- Displaced homemaker
- Low-income individuals
- Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian
- Individual with a Disability
- Older individual
- Ex-offender or offender
- Homeless individual/Runaway youth
- Youth in or aged out of foster care system
- English language learner
- Individuals with low levels of literacy
- Individuals facing substantial cultural barriers
- Eligible Migrant and Seasonal farmworker
- Within 2 years of exhausting lifetime eligibility under TANF
- Single parent (custodial/non-custodial)
- Pregnant single woman
- Long-term unemployed
- Other group(s) as the LRWDB determines to have barriers to employment
Additional information can be found in the Individual with Barriers to Employment Checklist: FORM-2.8-Individuals-with-Barriers-to-Employment-Checklist-Updated-8-27-18
As your partner, the LRWDB and Little Rock Workforce Center offer three broad categories of services that can be customized to fit the needs of each job seeker. These costly services are available to your company at no charge for individuals who meet income and eligibility requirements:
WIOA Adult Services
Services for adult job seekers focus primarily on:
- Career readiness (soft skills) training
- Vocational education
- Job placement services
Supporting services are also available to assist job seekers in areas like childcare, housing, transportation, and transitional employment assistance.
WIOA Dislocated Worker Services
You may be eligible for Dislocated Worker Services if:
- You have been laid off from your job
- You have received notice of termination or layoff letter due to permanent closure
- Your office or plant downsized resulting in you losing your job
- Your spouse been dislocated and you were dependent on his/her income
- You are a displaced homemaker
Grant-Funded Programs
Adult job seekers may also take advantage of grant-funded employment programs like:
- Adult Re-Entry Programs that serve returning citizens and homeless persons
- Jobs for Veterans State Grant (JVSG)