Career Systems Of Support

The Kansas City Workforce Development Board, in partnership with the Full Employment Council (FEC), is committed to strengthening job training, employment, and support services through the innovative Career Systems of Support (Career SOS) initiative. This comprehensive program leverages collaboration, technology, and targeted training to help individuals overcome barriers and build sustainable careers in high-demand fields.

Connecting Clients To Opportunity: The SOS Partnership Portal

A central feature of Career SOS is the SOS Partnership Portal, an exclusive online referral platform that streamlines connections between COMBAT-funded agencies and FEC services. This portal enables partner agencies to refer job-ready individuals who meet specific criteria for career training and employment support.

Importantly, the portal also allows referrals of individuals within the client’s broader social network, expanding the reach of workforce services. Referring agencies receive real-time status updates on their clients, ensuring transparency and active collaboration throughout the process.

This system also supports trauma-informed care, allowing for immediate intervention from victim support agencies when needed. Training and employment services can be provided alongside trauma support or temporarily paused to allow clients to stabilize, ensuring a holistic approach to success.

A Four-Step Approach To Workforce Success

FEC manages job training and employment support through a structured four-part process:

1. Job Training: Individuals receive personalized training based on their career goals and local labor market demands, focusing on the top five high-growth occupational sectors identified by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC).
2. Job Placement: Upon completing training or certification, clients are matched with job opportunities that align with their skills and interests.
3. Job Retention: FEC provides ongoing support to ensure clients maintain employment for at least one year, addressing challenges that arise after placement.
4. High School Equivalency Certification (HiSET): For those without a high school diploma, FEC offers referrals to programs enabling clients to earn a GED while receiving job placement assistance.

This comprehensive approach supports both immediate job placement and long-term career development, ensuring participants gain family-sustaining wages.

Innovative Programs & Community Partnerships

To meet diverse client needs, FEC offers several innovative programs and collaborates closely with community partners:

• Client Advisory Task Force: This new initiative invites program graduates and current participants to bi-monthly meetings, providing feedback to improve services and address emerging challenges.
• Earn While You Learn Models: Emphasizing apprenticeships and on-the-job training, clients gain paid work experience while learning skills that lead to permanent employment. Employers agree to structured training plans reimbursed up to 50% by FEC, reducing barriers to workforce entry.
• Career Academy with the City of Kansas City: FEC partners with the City to offer internships in targeted occupations, with a pathway to full-time municipal employment for successful interns.
• Middle College Program: Targeting high school dropouts, this unique program—offered in collaboration with Kansas City Public Schools and Metropolitan Community College—helps participants earn a diploma or GED on a college campus. With an 84% graduation rate, it is the only program of its kind in Missouri and serves clients from COMBAT hotspot areas.
• Generating Opportunity for Youth (GO): Focused on juveniles transitioning out of family and juvenile court systems, this program helps youth create career plans and develop skills through internships and training, improving graduation rates among this vulnerable group.
• Pre-Apprenticeship Programs: Through a memorandum of understanding with the Missouri AFL-CIO, FEC offers trade training programs to prepare participants for skilled careers.

Bringing Services To The Community

FEC expands access to workforce development through Career Hubs—community-based events hosted in neighborhood centers within COMBAT hotspots. These events provide outreach and resources including career planning, internships, training opportunities, and supportive services.

Additionally, the Career Response Team mobilizes rapidly to assist unemployed or underemployed individuals affected by recent economic or criminal incidents. This team ensures targeted outreach and support to help stabilize employment in vulnerable communities.

Comprehensive Client Support & Assessment

Each client’s journey begins with thorough assessments, using tools like Work Keys and the internet-based Talify platform, to identify career interests, skills, and potential barriers. These assessments guide tailored Individual Employment Plans (IEPs) developed collaboratively by clients and FEC Career Navigators.

The IEP outlines career goals and necessary support services, which may include childcare, transportation, or training assistance. When obstacles arise, FEC consults with referring agencies to coordinate holistic solutions.

For clients ready to enter the workforce, FEC’s Workforce Development Executive facilitates job interviews, connects clients to hiring events, and maintains ongoing communication throughout the placement process. All employers are verified through Missouri’s E-Verify system to ensure job legitimacy and fair practices.

Diverse Training Pathways For Success

FEC offers a variety of training options to meet clients where they are:

• On-the-Job Training (OJT): Clients earn wages while gaining hands-on experience, with employer partnerships ensuring relevant skill development and a direct path to permanent employment.
• Apprenticeships: Combining paid work and classroom instruction, apprenticeships provide clear career pathways with credentialing and advancement opportunities.
• Internships: FEC funds short-term paid internships, typically lasting 6-8 weeks, that often lead to full-time job offers upon successful completion.
• Classroom Training: Certified courses designed to prepare clients for high-demand jobs in the Kansas City area, these courses offer flexible schedules and reduced financial barriers to completion.

Addressing Barriers & Supporting Success

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical need for comprehensive support services. FEC provides stipends, transportation assistance, childcare support, and work uniform vouchers to help clients overcome obstacles that might otherwise prevent participation in training and employment.

These services ensure that clients can fully engage in their career development without being hindered by common socioeconomic challenges.

Commitment To Equity & Community Impact

The Career SOS initiative explicitly targets systemic inequities affecting minority populations in Jackson County. African American, Indigenous, and Latino communities disproportionately experience poverty, unemployment, housing instability, and limited generational wealth—all factors linked to higher rates of crime and economic hardship.

By focusing resources and programming in COMBAT hotspot areas, FEC aims to reduce these disparities, promote economic mobility, and contribute to crime prevention through sustainable employment.

Client-Center System

Through the Career Systems of Support, the Kansas City Workforce Development Board and Full Employment Council are transforming workforce development into a seamless, collaborative, and client-centered system. By integrating cutting-edge technology, evidence-based training models, and community partnerships, Career SOS empowers individuals to build meaningful careers and fosters stronger, safer communities across Kansas City.

Locations

Click on the window icon (upper right corner) of the map below to expand. List of all program locations is included with expanded view of map. Locations are also listed on this page below the map.