“We wanted to develop a comprehensive tool that offers the latest technology and information to individuals seeking employment opportunities and employers seeking qualified applicants in the greater Memphis area,” said Dr. Glen Fenter, President, GMACWorkforce. “We were extremely fortunate to connect with Mary Hayes, the owner of Workbay, and her very talented team; and to have the tremendous financial support from a local philanthropic group.”

The platform is designed to educate the workforce about high demand jobs and provide access to the information needed to obtain the skills required for those jobs.  It helps job seekers find jobs, view videos of real people in actual job settings in the Memphis region and build their portfolio and ultimately apply for jobs.  Employers can see a full portfolio for each candidate and see the badges they obtained through online training.  It also provides employers with access to a comprehensive job board, an applicant tracking system, the ability to market their organization and jobs as well as post online training and videos.  Career counselors and other stakeholders in the community can also have a dashboard to view job seekers progress throughout the process.

“MemphisWorks is a significant opportunity for Memphis. The availability of a quality workforce is the number one issue communities across the country face, but with this new tool in Memphis our city will see more people easily being connected to training and good jobs right from their cellphone. Innovations like this will take our economy to the next level,” said Phil Trenary, President & CEO, Greater Memphis Chamber.

In its initial rollout, the MemphisWorks platform will feature career pathways for six key economic sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Construction & Engineering, Health Sciences, Information Technology (IT), Transportation, Distribution, & Logistics (TDL). Entrepreneurship is integrated across the sectors. Additional pathways including Hospitality and Retail are proposed for the future expansion of the tool.

The platform’s data-driven connections will match recommended job opportunities to an individual’s career pathway interest, assessments and skills gaps. The system will recommend skilled individuals to employers and provide better information to educators, job seekers and employers- by tracking skills acquisition, assessments and gaps against available training programs and job opportunities.

“The MemphisWorks program will be great for our business and Memphis in raising awareness for careers in the Building Arts and Sciences. Like all U.S. cities, Memphis needs a progressive workforce with a background in science and technology and MemphisWorks is an important step in introducing students to careers which rely on these skills,” said Danny McKee, Sr. Associate Principal, A2H.

The MemphisWorks tool can be accessed at MemphisWorks.com or in the app stores at Google Play or iTunes. Download Parties are planned for December 9^th and 10^th at the Benjamin Hooks Library from 10 am – 4 pm each day. Employers looking to learn more about posting their jobs should contact the GMACWorkforce office at 901.614.1099.

View Photos of the MemphisWorks App here: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3.

The Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce (GMACWorkforce) was created in November of 2014 out of the Greater Memphis Chamber’s Chairman’s Circle and the Memphis and Shelby County Regional Economic Development Plan, in collaboration with the Brookings Institution Policy Program. Its purpose is to create an effective pipeline of high-skilled workers tailored to the needs of area businesses through the collaboration of its partner organizations while also working every day to build career pathways between the unemployed and the area’s open high-skill positions.

Visit www.gmacworkforce.com  for more information. Follow GMACWorkforce on Twitter @GMACWorkforce and like them on Facebook, www.facebook.com/gmacworkforce. GMACWorkforce is led by employers, built for workers.

-MEMPHIS-