WICHITA, KS – The Workforce Alliance, in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, is hosting a roundtable lunch and learn for bank officials in the South Central Kansas area on May 18 at the Wichita Workforce Center, 2021 N. Amidon from Noon to 2:00 pm. The purpose of the event is to discuss the Federal Reserve’s recent report, Engaging Workforce Development: A Framework for Meeting CRA Obligations.

The co-author of the report, Steve Shepelwich, will be on hand to discuss his findings along with Jeremy W. Hegle, senior community development advisor from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Other community leaders, including Mayor Jeff Longwell, will attend to talk about regional economic development strategies and workforce development initiatives that will be of great interest to the financial industry.

“Banks developing partnerships with workforce development initiatives will allow them to expand their activities to reach a broader set of stakeholders and develop deeper and more durable, mutually beneficial relationships,” said Shepelwich, senior community development advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

As many are aware, the economy in South Central Kansas is still recovering from the last recession, and the Blueprint for Regional Economic Growth is a 10 county sector based strategy designed to grow jobs in wealth generating industries that drive economic activity. The Workforce Alliance is a key partner in this initiative and are focused on assisting employers to develop a quality labor pool to fill high skilled and in demand jobs. Many of the activities by the Workforce Alliance line up nicely with the Federal Reserve’s report. These include targeting low wage workers and at risk youth to help eliminate barriers to skills training and create quality well-paying career opportunities.

“The Round Table is a great opportunity for officials in our region to discuss the importance of developing quality labor and other workforce issues,” said Keith Lawing, president and CEO of Workforce Alliance.

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The Workforce Alliance is the Administrative Entity, One Stop Operator, and Program
Administrator for Local Area IV in Kansas, which includes the counties of Butler, Cowley, Harper, Kingman, Sedgwick and Sumner. Operations for Local Area IV are directed by the Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB). The daily operations of the LWIB are carried out by a professional staff, led by a President and Chief Executive Officer. For additional information on the Workforce Alliance please visit www.workforce-ks.com.