PROPOSED WORKFORCE INNOVATION • LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
Give every job seeker a personalized AI-powered path to work.
AI Employment Navigator is a proposed universal-access job-search and career support framework designed to help American Job Center Lincoln serve the person who walks in and simply says, “I need a job.”
Multi-sourceJob boards + employer sites + government + NEworks
Human-ledAI supports decisions; staff and clients stay in control
Platform-flexibleDesigned to work across approved LLMs
Built around the Job Center people already know.AI Employment Navigator expands the front-door employment experience while preserving existing workforce services.
Aligned with the public workforce mission
Supports AI literacy + career navigation
Built around existing staff and infrastructure
BUILT FOR THE AJC FRONT DOOR
Extend the Resource Room into a personalized digital job-search experience.
AJC Lincoln already provides walk-in Visitor Services and Resource Room access. The Navigator adds a guided AI layer that can help job seekers turn that access into an individualized search strategy.
THE OPPORTUNITY
A new front door for employment assistance.
Many people need meaningful job-search help before they need—or choose—intensive program enrollment. AI Employment Navigator creates a universal-access service layer that can provide immediate value and still connect people to deeper programs when appropriate.
“We provide value first, then connect the person to the right level of service.”
THE VISION
Not another job board. A personalized employment navigation layer.
Job Watch is the first module inside a larger AI Employment Navigator framework.
Candidate Profile
Experience, skills, education, transferable strengths, salary, location, interests and exclusions.
Job Watch
Multi-source discovery that screens new jobs against the client's actual criteria.
Application Assistant
Truthful resume alignment, job-description comparison and cover-letter support.
Interview Coach
Employer research, likely questions, STAR preparation and client practice.
Outcome Tracker
Lead → application → interview → offer → placement.
Learning Loop
Use real results to improve targeting, not simply broaden searches.
HOW IT WORKS
Search broadly. Filter intelligently. Keep humans in control.
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Client profile
Resume, goals, skills, salary, geography and dealbreakers.
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Multi-source discovery
Job boards, employer sites, government, education, healthcare, nonprofit, NEworks and more.
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AI screening
Fit, salary, location, experience, credentials, exclusions and duplicates.
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Human review
Career planner + job seeker verify and decide.
IndeedLinkedIn JobsZipRecruiterEmployer Career PagesGovernment JobsHigher EducationHealthcareNonprofit BoardsNEworksIndustry Boards
The objective is the broadest practical coverage available through approved tools and public sources. The project should not promise literal access to every posting on the internet.
UNIVERSAL ACCESS
Serve the job seeker before enrollment becomes the conversation.
Universal access expands personalized job-search support without replacing program eligibility or intensive services.
Walk-in service, upgraded.Give job seekers something useful they can take with them and continue using after they leave.
1Walk in“I need a job.”
→2Build NavigatorProfile + Job Watch
→3Search + coachImmediate value
→4Identify needTraining, barrier, credential
→5Program referralWhen appropriate
→6EmploymentTrack outcomes
Universal Navigator
Candidate profile, multi-source Job Watch, initial job leads, AI literacy and independent continuation.
Program-Enhanced Navigator
Add career planning, training pathways, allowable supportive services, barrier reduction and ongoing program support.
AI Job Search Stations
Guided resource-room setup that turns technology access into a structured employment service.
Public Workshop
“Build Your AI Job Search Assistant” — job seekers leave with a personalized system they can keep using.
WHY THIS FITS AJC LINCOLN
The concept builds on services already being delivered.
AJC
Visitor Services are already universal
AJC Lincoln states that its Visitor Services and Resource Room are open to anyone, with no appointment or eligibility required, and include job-search and digital-literacy support.
AJC source ↗DOL
Federal AI-literacy direction
The U.S. Department of Labor's 2026 AI Literacy Framework explicitly addresses American Job Centers and encourages expanded AI literacy across the public workforce system.
DOL source ↗WDB
Board responsibility includes unmet needs
The Greater Lincoln Workforce Development Board lists scanning for unmet employment and training needs—and convening partners to develop solutions—among its responsibilities.
Board source ↗FUNDING & SUSTAINABILITY
Start as a service modernization pilot—not a software purchase.
The strongest initial case is to use existing infrastructure, staff capacity and approved tools to prove the service model before pursuing larger technology investment.
Phase 1 · Minimal-cost pilot
Existing computers, resource-room access, staff, public job sources, NEworks and approved LLMs.
Phase 2 · Align allowable costs
Review WIOA, Wagner-Peyser/Employment Service, One-Stop/resource-room, City, program and partner funding with fiscal/compliance leadership.
Phase 3 · Expansion funding
Use local pilot data to pursue workforce innovation, AI literacy, technology, evaluation or other appropriate grant opportunities.
Phase 4 · Institutionalize
Defined budget, staff ownership, training standards, performance measures and program integration.
MEASURE WHAT MATTERS
Build the funding case with local outcomes.
- Cost per job seeker served
- Staff time saved or redirected
- Qualified lead rate
- Application-to-interview conversion
- Offers and placements
- Program referrals generated
Existing-funds case: AJC Lincoln states that WIOA Title I-B funds most of its programming, with a smaller City general-fund contribution, and its current contracts show multiple workforce initiatives and funding structures. The pilot should therefore begin with a fiscal/compliance review of which existing service functions can appropriately support which costs—not an assumption that one grant funds everything. AJC funding overview ↗ Current contracts ↗
AJC Lincoln currently reports an estimated $1.82 in total economic impact for each $1.00 in local program expenditures, demonstrating that the organization already communicates workforce investment in ROI terms. View AJC economic impact page ↗
LOCAL WORKFORCE INNOVATION
Start with the people, staff and infrastructure already here.
The first phase is intentionally a service pilot—not a custom software build.
PROPOSED PILOT
Prove it small. Measure it. Then decide whether to scale.
A two-track pilot tests both the universal front-door model and deeper program use.
Universal Access
~10 job seekersWalk-in/resource-room customers receive Navigator setup, Job Watch and basic AI-literacy support.
Program Participants
~10 participantsNavigator is integrated into ongoing career-planner support, applications and interview preparation.
Week 1Setup
Profiles, criteria, safeguards, baseline.
Week 2Job Watch
Run searches, review lead quality, apply.
Week 3Applications
Resume alignment, interviews, feedback.
Week 4Evaluate
Analyze results and recommend next step.
RESPONSIBLE AI
AI supports the work. It does not replace professional judgment.
✓
Human-in-the-loop
Staff and job seekers verify information and make final decisions.
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Minimum information
Use employment information needed for the task—not unnecessary sensitive case data.
✓
No fabricated experience
Resume and application support must remain truthful.
✓
No eligibility decisions
AI does not determine benefits, sanctions, program eligibility or access to required services.
PROJECT OWNERSHIP
Developed locally. Built to be piloted, documented and scaled.
The proposal positions Ryan Uher as Project Lead responsible for workflow design, pilot implementation, staff training, safeguards, measurement, continuous improvement and recommendations for expansion across programs.
Workflow designStaff trainingPilot operationsResponsible-AI safeguardsOutcome measurementCross-program scaling
PROJECT TOOLKIT
Leadership can review the concept—and the implementation details.
Download the supporting documents used to move from proposal to pilot.
01
Executive Leadership BriefFast overview for decision-makers
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02Full Leadership ProposalDetailed case, safeguards and project ownership
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03System ArchitectureHow the multi-source model works
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0430-Day Pilot PlanSteps, metrics and guardrails
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05Career Planner GuideClient-facing implementation workflow
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06Client Quick-Start GuideSimple explanation for job seekers
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07Universal Access ModelFront-door service and program-referral pathway
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08Funding Strategy & Existing-Funds AlignmentPotential funding pathways, cost alignment and sustainability
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LEADERSHIP FAQ
Questions this proposal is designed to answer.
Is this a replacement for NEworks?
No. NEworks is included as one workforce-system source. The Navigator is designed to expand discovery across the larger employment market while continuing to use existing tools.
Is this a ChatGPT-only project?
No. The framework is LLM-agnostic. The standardized asset is the methodology; individual features may vary by approved platform.
Does a job seeker have to enroll in a program?
The universal-access concept proposes a basic job-search/AI-literacy service before intensive enrollment, subject to leadership-approved policy. Services that require eligibility or enrollment would still follow program rules.
Will AI make decisions for staff or clients?
No. AI screens, organizes and explains. Career planners and job seekers verify information and make decisions.
Does this require custom software?
Not for the pilot. The initial phase is intentionally designed around existing infrastructure and approved general-purpose AI tools so the service model can be tested before major technology investment.