Hampton officials outline push to connect residents to jobs at new WorkOne center

Pam Croon, the city's workforce presenter, told the council the initiative is focused on skill building and increasing connections between residents and employers. She said Hampton's unemployment was about 3.7% and highlighted that the city's VEC data shows roughly 16,645 potential candidates and 2,114 Hampton‑specific job openings available in the region. "Hampton is still at 3.7%, but I'm very positive that that'll change in about 15 days," Croon said.

Croon described the WorkOne Center's soft opening on Jan. 7 and said the center follows four guiding principles, including a focus on youth and young adults and aligning training with employer needs. She previewed credential programs — a hospitality training program with guaranteed interviews, a Facebook micro‑credential for social media marketing and a planned food‑service manager credential — and outlined partnerships with Hampton City Schools, Hampton University and Goodwill. Croon also highlighted efforts to make library branches into shared network access points; she said those sites have helped 4,215 residents in under a year.

The council pressed for measurable outcomes. Council members asked whether the city would track wage gains and job stability; Croon said Goodwill will perform intake at the job fair so partners can follow participants and report back on hires and continued engagement. "Goodwill has agreed to do intake at the job fair," she said, describing a short on‑site intake that will enable later follow‑up. Council members requested additional data on reentry participation, wages earned and long‑term outcomes; Croon and staff committed to reporting more detailed measures going forward.

The presentation set the city’s workforce work in the context of other efforts discussed later in the meeting, including regional workforce board metrics and nonprofit partner programs.