Explanation
This ordinance authorizes a contract between Columbus City Council and the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio for the administration of the New Americans Recruitment Initiative.
It is vital that the city’s workforce be representative of its own population, and that includes increasing the diversity of our workforce by ensuring that our immigrant communities have opportunities for employment with the City of Columbus. The New Americans Recruitment Initiative provides grants to local non-profit immigrant, refugee and New American organizations to facilitate civil service testing and workforce development training. The goal is to guide residents through the City of Columbus employment opportunities and processes, and to promote civil service employment opportunities among the refugee, immigrant, and New American communities in Columbus. Council is funding a total of five grants with a maximum award of $7,500 each.
Grant recipients will be required to attend an informational session led by the Civil Service Commission. This session will provide a broad overview of the civil service application process, tested and untested positions, and a discussion of civil service opportunities that may be most applicable for grantees’ constituents. Grantees will also be required to host at least two community information sessions for their constituents to learn about civil service opportunities, and must identify and secure a remote test site and coordinate with the Civil Service Commission for the administration of one or more selected civil service exams.
The Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio will serve as the fiscal agent for the distribution of the grants to selected organizations, and will also provide administrative support and guidance regarding best practices for the creation or expansion of workforce development initiatives. For this service, the Workforce Development Board will receive $5,000.00.
Emergency action is requested to align th...
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