South Central Workforce D

What South Central Workforce D does

The South Central Workforce Development Board (SCWDB) is a government workforce development entity established in 2014 under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), one of ten Local Workforce Development Areas in Kentucky. It coordinates workforce programs across a 10-county region in South Central Kentucky (Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson, and Warren counties), overseeing the Kentucky Career Center in Bowling Green, Access Points, and the Career Development Office and Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. SCWDB delivers services directly to two primary stakeholder groups: job seekers (adults, dislocated workers, youth ages 16-24, veterans, new Americans/refugees, and justice-involved individuals) and regional employers seeking recruitment and training partnerships.

SCWDB's core technology footprint consists of a Zyrosite-based website, the Career EDGE online career platform (resume builder, interview simulator), the Job Seeker Map multilingual resource locator, a Google Sites-hosted Employer Toolkit, and Zoom-based virtual meeting infrastructure. There is no proprietary software, mobile app, or developer-facing API. Specialized programs include Ready. Set. Hire. (youth employment with cash incentives for 90-day job retention), Putting Kentuckians First (justice-involved reentry program with Lake Cumberland WDB), and the Community Partner Team forum with a WIOA Warm Handoff referral process.

The organization's revenue model is publicly funded rather than commercial. Primary funding flows from federal WIOA grants administered through the Kentucky Department of Workforce Development, allocated for adult, dislocated worker, and youth programs. All services to job seekers and employers are provided at no cost. Service delivery is executed through embedded partner Career TEAM, while SKYCTC (South Central Kentucky Community & Technical College) co-administers KY Adult Education centers across the territory. The go-to-market motion is community-led and field-based, combining physical Career Center operations, mobile Targeted Services Orientation Classes in counties without centers, monthly Community Partner Team meetings, and digital outreach via website and YouTube-recorded public board meetings. SCWDB holds 23 appointed board members, a leadership team of approximately 5, and a broader staff of navigators, career coaches, and Career TEAM-embedded personnel.

Name

South Central Workforce D

Legal name

South Central Workforce Development Board

Website

https://southcentralworkforce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The South Central Workforce Development Board is a government entity under WIOA 2014 that coordinates workforce programs across 10 counties in South Central Kentucky, serving job seekers (adults, youth, veterans, refugees, reentry populations) and regional employers through the Kentucky Career Center, career coaching, training partnerships, and youth employment programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Services (5613), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAAOAA

Public Workforce Development Programs (WIOA/One-Stop Career Centers)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Workforce Development Initiatives

SECONDARYBPAGADAF

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGAEAJ

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYEDAAAKAO

Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Career Readiness & Employability Skills (Resume, Interview, Workplace Skills)

Keywords

• Workforce development services
• Career training programs
• Employment support services
• Youth employment initiatives
• Regional workforce planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Bowling Green

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal WIOA Funding: Primary funding from Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) federal grants administered through Kentucky Department of Workforce Development. Funds allocated for adult, dislocated worker, and youth workforce programs.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The South Central Workforce Development Board serves as the regional oversight entity for workforce development across 10 counties in South Central Kentucky. It manages the Kentucky Career Center in Bowling Green, coordinates the Career Development Office and Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, and partners with Career TEAM for direct job seeker services and SKYCTC for adult education. Core offerings include job seeker career coaching and training, employer recruitment and training partnerships, the Ready. Set. Hire. youth employment program with cash incentives, the Putting Kentuckians First reentry program, and multilingual outreach through the Job Seeker Map. All services are provided at no cost to eligible participants through federal WIOA funding.

Product overview

The South Central Workforce Development Board operates as a regional workforce development organization serving a 10-county area of South Central Kentucky. Rather than a unified software platform, it offers a portfolio of programs and services organized around its core Kentucky Career Center. The core service provides one-stop career center operations and oversight, while specialized programs include Ready. Set. Hire. for youth employment, Putting Kentuckians First for justice-involved individuals, and the Community Partner Team for inter-agency coordination. Digital tools include Career EDGE (an online career development platform), the Job Seeker Map (a multilingual resource locator), and the Employer Toolkit (a Google Sites-based resource hub). Services extend through physical access points, targeted orientation classes, and virtual meeting options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ready. Set. Hire. A youth employment initiative led by the South Central Workforce Development Board designed to help young people ages 16-24 find, keep, and succeed in jobs across South Central Kentucky.

Products and services

• Kentucky Career Center A physical one-stop career center operated by SCWDB in Bowling Green providing employment, training, education, and workforce services to job seekers and employers. Services extend to communities through Targeted Services Orientation Classes and local Access Points throughout the 10-county region.
• Ready. Set. Hire. A youth employment initiative serving individuals ages 16-24 across South Central Kentucky's 10-county region. Provides career coaching, work support, resume polishing, interview skills, and cash bonus incentives for completing 90-day job commitments or co-op/internship semesters ($500 full-time, $250 part-time, $250 co-op).
• Career EDGE A free online career development platform providing interactive tools including a resume builder and job interview simulator. Offers modules on goal setting, communication, networking, time management, interview preparation, cultural diversity, and work-life balance for residents of the 10-county region.
• Job Seeker Map An interactive online tool providing information about workforce resources, programs, and agencies across South Central Kentucky. Designed to help immigrants, refugees, and residents with limited English proficiency connect to employment and education professionals. Available in multiple languages.
• Employer Toolkit A one-stop resource hub providing employers with quick access to workforce development resources, templates, guides, and tools to navigate the workforce landscape. Published on Google Sites.
• Putting Kentuckians First A collaborative program with Lake Cumberland Workforce Development Board and Kentucky Adult Education, designed to create opportunities for Kentuckians to receive wrap-around services that remove barriers to successful employment. Targets individuals with justice involvement and re-entry backgrounds.
• Community Partner Team A monthly collaborative forum (first Thursday of each month, 9:30-10:30 AM via Zoom) bringing together workforce development, social services, community organizations, and non-profits to strengthen alignment and address employment barriers. Features a WIOA 'Warm Handoff' referral process for seamless client transitions.
• Targeted Services Orientation Classes In-person sessions that extend Kentucky Career Center services to communities without a physical center location. Partners with Kentucky Adult Education centers to provide direct support for job seekers, covering employment, training, education, and resources. Also serves as a referral pathway from judicial partners into workforce programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• HIRE Vets Medallion Award recipient for commitment to recruiting, employing, and retaining veterans (Platinum 2022-2024, Gold 2025)

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Career TEAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerService provider for direct support to individuals seeking career opportunities. Career TEAM staff (Executive Director, Chief Career Advisor, Business Services Representative, One-Stop Operator, Career Advisors, Program Manager, Career Navigators) embedded within the workforce development system to deliver WIOA services.
• SKYCTC (South Central Kentucky Community & Technical College)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for KY Adult Education centers across the 10-county territory. Dr. Joda Johnson serves as Director of Adult Education on the Board. Collaborative effort to deliver adult education and literacy programs as part of workforce development.
• Kentucky Career CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKentucky Career Center in Bowling Green serves as the primary physical location for workforce services. SCWDB is responsible for overseeing the Career Center and managing local Access Points throughout the region.
• Cumberlands Workforce Development BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Strategic Plan 2025-2028 developed in partnership, outlining employer-driven strategies to connect people with opportunity. Both regions collaborate on workforce growth, talent development, and economic success initiatives.
• Lake Cumberland Workforce Development BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Putting Kentuckians First program, creating a workforce triage system to eliminate barriers for Kentuckians to reenter the workforce.
• Office of Vocational RehabilitationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegral component of the Career Centers under SCWDB oversight. Roxana Miracle serves as Regional Program Manager on the Board. Provides vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities.
• Career Development OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegral component of the Career Centers under SCWDB oversight. Katie Houghlin serves as Executive Director on the Board. Coordinates career development services across the region.
• Kentucky Adult EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdult education and literacy programs coordinated through SCWDB partnership with SKYCTC across the 10-county territory. Amy Smith-Thomas serves as Assistant Director of Butler County Adult Education on the Board.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Goodwill Industries International: National nonprofit operating workforce development and job training programs across the country. Relevant as a broader, more resourced incumbent offering mission-aligned employment services and serving many of the same populations (veterans, people with disabilities, justice-involved).

Others

• Jobs for the Future: National nonprofit focused on workforce policy, equitable career pathways, and systems-change work in workforce development. Comparable mission and target populations, but functions as a policy/convener rather than a direct service operator like SCWDB.

Direct peers

• Worksystems Inc. (Portland/Multnomah County): Portland-metro workforce development board with WIOA-aligned funding, employer partnerships, and equity-focused programs serving underrepresented populations — directly comparable GTM and target populations.
• America Works: National provider of employment placement and workforce services operating in multiple states, often under government contracts. Closely aligned business model with SCWDB's employment placement, career coaching, and barrier-removal services for hard-to-serve populations.
• Cumberlands Workforce Development Board: Adjacent Kentucky Local Workforce Development Board that co-developed the 2025-2028 Joint Strategic Plan with SCWDB. Operates under the same WIOA statute with overlapping programs, funding streams, and employer engagement model.
• Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership: Workforce development board serving the Chicago/Cook County region with WIOA funding, employer partnerships, sector-based training, and special-population services that mirror SCWDB's structure.
• WorkSource Washington: Washington state's American Job Center / WIOA network of Local Workforce Development Boards. Comparable on funding model, one-stop operator structure, and WIOA-targeted populations including veterans and dislocated workers.
• CareerSource Florida: Statewide network of Florida's Local Workforce Development Boards operating under WIOA. Closest direct comparability: same WIOA statutory framework, regional boards, Career Center operators, employer services, and special-population programs.
• Workforce Solutions Capital Area (Austin/Travis County): Texas Local Workforce Development Board operating Workforce Solutions Centers under WIOA. Similar GTM: employer engagement, work-based training (OJT, Incumbent Worker Training), and youth programs.
• Lake Cumberland Workforce Development Board: Kentucky Local Workforce Development Board partnering with SCWDB on Putting Kentuckians First for reentry populations. Same WIOA funding structure and Kentucky Career Center oversight as SCWDB.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLEY4aUhQaEsf0OgntbIE-hesAjevuHqwA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-central-workforce-development-board

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Central Workforce D