Purpose of project: great jobs KC (gjkc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded to increase postsecondary educational attainment in the six-county greater kansas city area

The Department of Labor Women's Bureau awarded Great Jobs KC, Inc. $681,780 on September 30, 2025, under the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Technical Assistance Grant Program (CFDA 17.701) to deliver the Great Jobs for Women in Apprenticeships and Nontraditional Occupations (GJWANTO) program through September 30, 2027.

GJWANTO comprises three components. First, the recipient will provide technical assistance to employers in construction, advanced manufacturing, commercial driver's license, and information technology sectors in the six-county Greater Kansas City bi-state area to strengthen recruitment, training, and retention of women. Second, the recipient will annually recruit, train, mentor, and support 50 women in pre-apprenticeship and pre-employment programs in construction, commercial driver's license, advanced manufacturing, and information technology, targeting 100 women trained and prepared for apprenticeable and nontraditional occupations by grant close. Third, the recipient will establish a Women in Nontraditional Occupations Speaker Series to inspire women across the Kansas City metro to pursue careers in nontraditional sectors.

To execute these activities, the recipient will hire a full-time program coordinator to oversee technical assistance implementation, supervise participant recruitment and employment outcomes, manage mentorship programming, organize the speaker series, and track project results. The recipient will also contract with Critical Social Change Project, a local training provider, to deliver direct training services. Performance will occur in the United States, with administrative oversight in Kansas City, Missouri.

Expected outcomes

(1) 100 women will have enrolled in an IT, construction, advanced manufacturing, or CDL workforce credential program by 24 months after award (9/29/2027), with 80 women having completed the program; (2) 80 women will be employed in a job paying $45,000 or more, plus benefits, by 24 months after award (9/29/2027); (3) 200 leaders and decision-makers in a/NTO businesses will have learned to create more welcoming employment environments for women; and (4) 2,000 community members will have attended the gjwanto speaker series and learned about the challenges women face in a/ntos.

Intended beneficiaries

1) 200 executives, HR professionals, managers, supervisors, and training providers in the CDL, IT, construction, and advanced manufacturing industries receive TA; 2) 100 low and moderate-income women in the six-county kansas city metropolitan area receive training in a/NTO fields; and 3) 100 professional women in a/NTO field receive mentorship training.