Through the US Department of Labor, this department administers Federal funding for eligible Cranston and Providence residents and employers in three important employment related areas. Employment Retraining funds provide training programs for economically disadvantaged adults and dislocated workers. Project Upgrade funds employers who seek to upgrade their employees' skills making them more competitive in this technology based business environment. Welfare to Work helps our most needy citizens make their way towards self-sufficiency.
This Cranston/Providence partnership began with the passage of the Job Training and Partnership Act in 1982 (JTPA). On July 1, 2000, the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) began where JTPA left off with an important improvement. The new legislation provides for the establishment of One Stop Career Centers, which bring employment related agencies together to pool their resources and provide a full service employment center for any Cranston or Providence resident. netWORKri at One Reservoir Av, Providence is the Cranston/Providence one stop career center, which provides a number of employment related programs, which are listed below.
This unique private-public partnership between the city government and a Workforce Investment Board is comprised of business leaders, human service officials and our economic development director who continually strive to better prepare our residents for an ever more competitive economy.
The mission of this department is to invest in programming that prepares youth and under-skilled adults for entry or re-entry into the labor force. The investment of training dollars helps our citizens join more growth-oriented industries and strengthens our local economy.