Asheville Chamber, Economic Development Coalition launch Inclusive Hiring Partners

Press release from Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce:

Today, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County announced the launch of Inclusive Hiring Partners, a new effort to reduce barriers to employment for local residents. The initiative will pair people experiencing long-term unemployment or underemployment with support services, education, training and opportunities that lead to well-paying careers with local employers.

“Every member of our community deserves opportunity, but far too often, systemic barriers like intergenerational poverty, lack of access to health care and education disparities stand in the way,” said Kit Cramer, President & CEO of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.“Inclusive Hiring Partners dovetails with the goals of economic mobility and shared prosperity identified in the AVL Greater community vision.”

The work of Inclusive Hiring Partners will focus on three key areas:

-Mentorship – Partner organizations including Community Action Opportunities, the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville, OnTrack WNC, and the SPARC Foundation will help participants navigate challenges like reentering the community after incarceration and will address employment barriers like housing, transportation, child care and substance use disorder recovery.
-Skills and Training – Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Mountain Area Workforce Development Board and UpSkill WNC will connect participants to training for high-demand jobs in construction, manufacturing and health services.
-Employment – Project staff will match participants with on-site work experiences through specially-trained employers like AvL Technologies, the City of Asheville, Buncombe County Government, ConMet, East Fork, Mills Manufacturing and Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC).

Inclusive Hiring Partners will prioritize working with people living in high-poverty Census tracts, people experiencing homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, formerly-incarcerated individuals and residents of the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville. Eligible participants should be enrolled in or qualify for case management services from one or more of the intensive services partner organizations listed above.

Inclusive Hiring Partners is the product of a long-term, collaborative effort to address racial disparities in our workforce that were made clear byState of Our Workforce survey results in 2018. The Golden LEAF Foundation recently catalyzed this effort by awarding the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County (EDC) a Golden LEAF Opportunities for Work (GLOW) Grant of $365,000 for a three-year funding cycle to support the work of Inclusive Hiring Partners. The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and EDC also received technical grant writing support from a Leverage Grant awarded by the Dogwood Health Trust.