By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
Covington Works. And Todd Kyper works to make Covington Works, well, work.
Covington Works is the result of an agreement between the City of Covington and the Northern Kentucky Area Development District (NKADD), whose Workforce Division operates a number of workforce development programs and initiatives, including Covington Works.
Worth noting, the NKADD also staffs the NKY Workforce Investment Board which has oversight of the Kentucky Career Centers in the eight Northern Kentucky counties.
The project – which celebrates a two-year anniversary this month – focuses on helping Covington residents who are unemployed or under-employed, to develop or enhance their skills.
And Todd Kyper, Business Services Coordinator with Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment, told the Covington Rotary Club this week how the project has become quite successful.
“We want to provide education, training and work experiences for city residents,” said Kyper, who grew up near Columbia, Md., and is a graduate of the state’s university. “The program helps residents gain job-ready skills and easier access to opportunities while preparing the talent needed to support the city’s businesses.”
Kyper said he found it quite rewarding to work with youth development.
“I started working as a Program Director for The First Tee,” he told the Northern Kentucky Tribune. “They would use golf as a life skill to teach healthy habits.”
He remained with them for some three-and-a-half years, he said, and really got to understand work-force development.
“I learned how working with businesses can make it even more successful.”
His present-day role is managing relationships with area business.
“I learn what their hiring and workforce needs are; and, of course, the kind of talent they may need,” he said.
And after learning those needs, Kyper says he will look at resources available to acquire the talent that is needed.
“As part of Covington Works, we were able to establish a productive partnership with Northern Kentucky University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” Kyper said. “Seven students from NKU accepted internships at Covington start-up businesses through us, providing valuable hands-on experience to the students as well as much-needed work support for those businesses.”
Kyper proudly points out two local success stories.
“Lee Gibson was looking for a job opportunity to build his skills as an automobile technician,” Kyper said. “We were able to create a job opportunity for him at Samaritan Car Care Clinic in Covington. He also worked on some ‘soft’ skills like coming to work on time and communication.”
The good news – Gibson recently completed a two-year stint at the Covington location. “His supervisor believes he is ready for a new challenge. Perhaps at a local automobile dealership”
Lee Gibson is not alone.
Builder Backed – another Covington business – provides home services network, builder approved experts, professionals, enabling clients access to home care and maintenance service with transparent pricing, real-time updates, and detailed service records.
“We also placed interns with them over the summer,” Kyper said, “and two interns this fall. And they just hired one of our summer interns to a full-time job opportunity.”
Some examples of work-based learning experiences facilitated by Covington Works include:
• An employer site visit for Holmes High School students at Blau Mechanical to explore commercial HVAC careers,
• Mock Interview sessions and career counseling for Holmes High School students who were set to interview for jobs in the skilled trades, and
• Job placements with subsidy support from the program where eligible.
Maybe Todd Kyper should have been a matchmaker.
Covington Works. It really does.