Agency News

Opportunity House Officially Opens

Brighton Center in Partnership with Northern Kentucky University and City of Highland Heights, Opens Opportunity House An Innovative Program that Puts Education within Reach for Young Adults 

The Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati Joins the National Fund for Workforce Solutions

Regional Workforce Collaborative Launches, Becomes Part of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions’ Network

The Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati, a regional tri-state workforce development initiative, joins the National Fund for Workforce Solutions network of 34 communities across the U.S. seeking to improve workforce outcomes. The National Fund offers leading-edge resources, best practices, and thought leadership to help benchmark and accelerate efforts, with an emphasis on equity and inclusion.

The Talent Collaborative will hold a special Launch Event at 9 a.m. on Thursday, August 25 at OTR Stillhouse (2017 Branch St., Cincinnati, OH 45214) with special guest Amanda Cage, president and CEO of The National Fund for Workforce Solutions, along with local elected officials and community leaders. The Launch Event is sponsored by Duke Energy.

The vision of The Talent Collaborative is for the Greater Cincinnati region to strengthen and expand opportunities for people to advance in careers that enable their individual and family success, engage with area education/training providers and organized labor, as well as foster the success of employers with high-quality employment practices to make a positive impact on the economic growth of the entire region.

Rather than duplicating or replacing the region’s workforce development services, The Talent Collaborative will serve as an inclusive network to help provide more synergy among the tri-state’s workforce development organizations, build capacity among service providers, and promote a greater collective impact of the workforce system that serves the region’s job seekers and employers. The Talent Collaborative, through the National Fund’s network, will have access to innovative tools and privately-funded resources to help promote inclusive prosperity in our communities through impactful workforce development collaboration.

The Collaborative’s founding members include Brighton Center, The Health Collaborative, the Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board, The Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board, and The Workforce Innovation Center at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. However, all regional organizations providing workforce development services are invited to participate, including, but not limited to education, community-based organizations, workforce providers, organized labor, and business-industry partners.

“Joining The National Fund for Workforce Solutions will enhance our collective impact in the workforce continuum across Greater Cincinnati,” said Jason Ashbrook, executive director of the Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board and the 2022 chair of the Collaborative. “Our region is home to many exceptional organizations that provide critical workforce services to job seekers and employers in our communities. The Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati will help strengthen the existing workforce ecosystem by creating more opportunities for collaboration and innovation among workforce partners, while emphasizing the benefits of equity and career mobility in our regional economy.”

“The launch of The Talent Collaborative in the Cincinnati region enables many strong organizations to continue their work together and leverage their strengths in service to improving our local economy for workers, employers and the partners that support them,” said Audrey Treasure, executive director at the Workforce Innovation Center. “The Workforce Innovation Center at the Cincinnati Chamber is thrilled to be a part of this dynamic group and further support our efforts to make inclusive capitalism a reality for more people.”

“The Health Collaborative envisions a community that is healthy by design, where our region’s healthcare employers and employees thrive. Becoming a National Fund for Workforce Solutions site is a positive and necessary step toward creating this future,” said Hope Arthur, director of workforce innovation at The Health Collaborative. “Our work with The National Fund, The Talent Collaborative’s founding partners, and all the other regional stakeholders is our best way forward to achieving systems-level change, racial and gender equity, and economic growth for individuals, businesses, and the region.”

“The Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (NKWIB) and staff appreciate the opportunities that participation in The Talent Collaborative with organizations from across the region provide to our eight counties and the employers and job seekers who we serve,” said Tara Johnson-Noem, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, which staffs and serves as fiscal agent for the NKWIB. “Designation by The National Fund provides additional momentum to this robust partnership, and we look forward to the positive impact this will make in our communities.”

“Now, more than ever, our region’s employers need access to the most cutting-edge solutions to meet their labor demands. At the same time, workers in our community need us to understand the complexity of their lives, including what factors help or hinder their ability to get and keep quality family-sustaining jobs,” said Talia Frye, vice president at Brighton Center. “The National Fund for Workforce Solutions connects our community to the most innovative and comprehensive best practices our nation has to offer.”

A key priority of The Collaborative is establishing a community-wide dashboard to measure key metrics related to the success of individual employees, employers, and the economic health of the community as a whole. The Talent Collaborative will focus on creating opportunities for community members and partnering with additional organizations focusing on racial equity and economic self-sufficiency.

About The Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati

The Talent Collaborative serves as an inclusive network to help provide synergy and collaboration among the tri-state’s workforce development organizations, build capacity among service providers, and promote a greater collective impact of the workforce system serving seekers and employers.  For more information, contact info@talentcollaborativeGC.org

About National Fund for Workforce Solutions

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions invests in a dynamic national network of 34+ communities taking a demand-driven, evidence-based approach to workforce development. At the local level, the National Fund’s partner organizations contribute resources, test ideas, collect data, and improve public policies and business practices that help all workers succeed and employers have the talent they need to compete. Learn more at www.NationalFund.org.

Brighton Center Named Best Place to Work Finalist

Brighton Center is thrilled to be named a 2022 Best Places to Work Finalist! The awards are an annual program of the Cincinnati Business Courier celebrating organizations in Greater Cincinnati that rate high in workforce satisfaction. This is a true testament to our amazing staff and organizational culture. 

Read more at Cincinnati Business Courier 

Directors Participate in LNK Education Day

Recently, Ellen Bates, Workforce Development Director, and Dellisa Ford-Edwards, Early Childhood Education Director, had the opportunity to participate and lend their expertise as panelists on Leadership Northern Kentucky Education Day. Ellen and Dellisa shared the importance of education at all levels, from early childhood to post-secondary, and the overall workforce connection across the education continuum. We are lucky to have Ellen and Dellisa's leadership in our workforce development and early childhood education work!

Job Fair

Join us Thursday, July 14th from 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM at Brighton Center in Newport to learn all about our employment opportunities, the incredible team you can be part of, and how we make a difference every day in the lives of others. View opportunities: http://www.brightoncenter.com/careers

MyFreeTaxes

Brighton Center will be hosting 3 MyFreeTax events this week. If you still need to complete your taxes, this is a great option! MyFreeTax Events are self-help events. You will need to bring all tax documents and you will complete your taxes for free using the provided technology. You can even bring your own laptop!

VITA Volunteers and Brighton Center Staff will be onsite to assist with the MyFreeTaxes software and to answer any tax questions that may come up. Visit brightoncenter.com/vita for a list of tax documents needed.

Dates:

March 29, 2022: 12:30 pm - 5 pm
Kentucky Career Center 1324 Madison Ave, Covington, KY

Wednesday, March 30, 2022: 12 pm - 5 pm
City Heights Rec Hall 2500 Todd Street, Covington, KY

Friday, April 1, 2022: 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Center for Employment Training 601 Washington Ave, Newport, KY
This will include a 90-minute presentation about how to use MyFreeTaxes and Basic Tax Education.
The open session for MyFreeTaxes will begin at 2 PM until 3:30.

Use the list below to gather all the documents and forms you’ll need to get started with Free Tax Prep. Any item with a star (*) is mandatory; without it, you will be unable to access Free Tax Prep. All other items are highly recommended. For a full list of documents required to file taxes visit the Checklist for Free Tax Return Preparation | Internal Revenue Service (IRS.gov).

• Income information: All W-2, 1099 forms, and other information for income received in 2020 by you, spouse, and dependent(s). *
• Photo identification for primary individual(s) filing the return (you/spouse). *
• Social Security cards or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number cards for everyone listed on the return (you, spouse, and dependents or children). *
• Birth dates of everyone listed on the return (you, spouse, and dependents or children). *
• Last year’s tax return.
• Information about your stimulus payment — also known as an economic impact payment (EIP). You may have IRS Notice 1444 or other records showing your EIP amount.
• Information about your Advanced Child Tax Credit payments. - IRS Letter 6419, Advance Child Tax Credit Reconciliation, if applicable
• A canceled check or bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit. IRS recommends this to receive your refund as soon as possible.
• Identity Protection PIN, if one has been issued to you, your spouse, or your dependents by the IRS.
• Credit and deduction documentation.

Questions? Call (859) 491-8303

Brighton Center’s Opportunity House Accepting Applications for Fall 2022 Opening

(Newport, Kentucky – January 18, 2022) Brighton Center's newest program, Opportunity House, is now accepting applications for young adults ages 18-24.

Opportunity House is an innovative project in Northern Kentucky to develop post-secondary educational opportunities and stable housing for these young adults 18-24, ultimately leading to educational success, employment, and self-sufficiency. Opportunity House will provide the support and pathway to labor market success for those who traditionally have experienced many barriers to complete education beyond high school and ensure they have a bright future and the best quality of life possible.

Brighton Center’s Center for Employment Training

(Newport, Kentucky – January 18, 2022) Brighton Center’s Center for Employment Training (CET) is excited to announce the launch of a Human Resources and Payroll Specialist skill division beginning Monday, January 24, 2022. 

VITA Program In Need of Volunteers!

The 2022 tax season commences at the end of January, and Brighton Center in partnership with United Way of Greater Cincinnati needs your help! Not a tax expert? No problem! There are volunteer roles for all interests from customer service to administrative support or providing families with certified tax preparation services. Training and ongoing support are provided for each volunteer role. 

Northern Kentucky Chamber’s NKYP Steering Committee for the 2021-22 Fiscal Year

Recently, the Northern Kentucky Chamber's NKYP announced the 11 members of its Steering Committee for the 2021-22 fiscal year and our very own Workforce Development Director, Ellen Bates is on the Committee. Congratulations Ellen! Read more about the new Steering Committee members and how you can get involved in Northern Kentucky's young professional business community at https://app.cerkl.com/org/story.php?id=15075594