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Workforce Partnership to close Leavenworth office, consolidate services to Wyandotte
Summary
Workforce Partnership said funding cuts to WIOA prompted the decision to end its Leavenworth physical office in December and consolidate to a single Wyandotte County location; staff said they will pursue satellite sites and virtual options while warning travel and digital access will limit some residents’ access to services.
Workforce Partnership announced at a Leavenworth City Commission meeting that it will close its Leavenworth office and consolidate operations into a single office in Wyandotte County, after recent reductions to WIOA funding and simultaneous lease expirations.
The organization said the Leavenworth office building lease ended in December and that, starting in January, there will be no physical Workforce Partnership location inside Leavenworth. Staff said they are researching satellite sites and virtual-service options and asked local businesses and agencies for space or ideas.
WIOA is the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program that helps people with barriers to employment obtain skills and credentials. The presenter said Workforce Partnership has served more than 16,000 job seekers overall; conducted 338 regional job fairs attended by about 2,700 people; and worked with more than 1,000 employers across Wyandotte, Leavenworth and Johnson counties. Local figures presented included 161 veteran participants served in the Tri-County area and 25 youth (ages 16–24) served in Leavenworth County, as well as 308 people identified as formerly incarcerated in the program region, 142 of whom were served in Leavenworth County.
The presenter described several programs that will continue to be offered: a Respect Works reentry program that served 165 job seekers with a reported 75% employment rate; registered apprenticeship development (the presenter said 14 registered apprenticeship programs have been developed to date, including recent approvals); and K–12 work-based learning partnerships with area school districts. Staff noted services are free to job seekers and to employers.
City residents asked about customer foot traffic and access if the local office closes. Workforce Partnership staff said daily foot traffic varies, depending on hiring events and weather, and that they have seen as many as 30 visitors in a single day. Staff acknowledged travel to Wyandotte and limited computer literacy among some job seekers will create access barriers and said they plan to expand virtual offerings and partner with local sites (libraries were mentioned) to provide computer access and one-on-one help for resume building and applications.
The presenter asked the community for leads on low-cost or donated space for occasional satellite hours in Leavenworth and said the executive board made the difficult decision after lease expirations and funding cuts impacted all three local offices.
Local officials and several audience members expressed concern about the impact on residents who rely on in-person assistance and suggested exploring partnerships with downtown businesses or library locations to host satellite hours.
Workforce Partnership recommended that residents who need services contact the organization through its business services contact sheet or KansasWorks listing; staff said they will continue outreach and employer engagement across the Tri-County area.
