City of Phoenix hopes its 'mobile career unit' can win Global Mayors Challenge honor

The City of Phoenix is among 50 cities in this year's Bloomberg Global Mayors Challenge, with an idea that aims to connect employers and job seekers. FOX 10's Bailey Miller reports.

PHOENIX - The City of Phoenix has made it to the finals of the Bloomberg Global Mayors Challenge.

As part of the competition, cities are awarded for their innovative ideas to enhance their communities, and the City of Phoenix's idea involves taking career assistance on the road.

As a part of the competition, the City of Phoenix has created a mobile career unit that is intended to connect employers and job seekers.

"Our vision is for a larger unit, and multiple workstations inside for people to do resume search or to get career help, as well as private interviews for career spaces, and all of the technology to drive futures forward," said Jovanna Park House, Workforce Development Supervisor for Special Projects with the City of Phoenix.

More than 600 cities across the globe have entered the Global Bloomberg Mayors Challenge, and the City of Phoenix has now made it to the top 50. The mobile career unit was created in an effort to bridge a gap, in order to make sure residents can find jobs and employers can hire, especially with the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic and the recent staffing shortages happening across many industries.

We have rising numbers of unemployment in the city, and we have residents that have greater barriers to the workforce," said Park Horse. "We want to be able to reduce some of those barriers, and the biggest ones being transportation, so kind of taking that weight off the residents."

The plan is still in the works, but the goal is to bring it to libraries and neighborhoods so people will have direct access, making the process easier for all involved.

In all, 15 cities will be awarded $1 million, and that award money will be used to put plans into action. The winners will be announced in early 2022.