CO.LAB, gener8tor announce new Skills Accelerator program
The virtual, rapid reskilling initiative is open to eligible unemployed or underemployed individuals in 10 Southeast Tennessee counties.
The Company Lab (CO.LAB) in Chattanooga has announced a new partnership with gener8tor that expands beyond the existing one focused on Sustainable Mobility. In a press conference held Tuesday, the two organizations celebrated their alliance as part of the $1 million ‘Digital Skills, Education, and Workforce Development (DSEW) Grant’ provided by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
This grant will support a six-week virtual workforce development program for unemployed or underemployed individuals in the counties of Rhea, Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Marion, Grundy, Polk, Meigs, Bradley, Hamilton, and McMinn, and is provided at no cost to participants that are eligible for funding. Tennessee is being added to the work underway in a number of cities and regions where the gener8tor Skills Accelerator provides a virtual, rapid reskilling program for people looking for jobs in high-demand roles in their communities or working remotely for companies across the country.
“According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and United States Department of Labor, unemployment was at around 3.4%, or 117,000 people by the end of 2023,” said CO.LAB Director of Community Engagement Allie Schrenker. “On top of that, 45 percent of employers are reporting talent shortages across the country. We believe this accelerator can help reduce these numbers while supporting our local community’s potential.”
Aspects of the program include 1:1 career coaching, a weekly Lunch & Learn series, LinkedIn Learning, and resume and cover letter development. gener8tor statistics show that the more than 2,800 individuals who have participated in the program resulted in a 85.7 percent graduation rate, and 57.1 percent of those graduates from three or more months ago have found job placement.
“Our partnership with CO.LAB began with our Investment Accelerator focused on Sustainability Mobility and we are thrilled to expand our partnership with their team to bring our Skills Accelerator to the community,” said gener8tor Co-Founder Joe Kirgues.
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