Job Search and Placement

Overview

Program/Practice Name: Mississippi TANF Work Program

Agency Name: Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS), Division of Economic Assistance

Contact Information:

Mississippi Department of Human Services 750 North State Street Jackson, MS 39202 www.mdhs.state.ms.us

John Davis Director of Economic Assistance Division of Economic Assistance Phone: (601) 359-4810

Type of Program/Practice: The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, administered by MDHS, provides benefits for needy families with children under age 18 without regard to race, creed, or national origin.

Description

Program/Practice Description: "A request for assistance in the State of Mississippi is a request for help in findingand keeping a job." The goal of the TANF Work Program is to end dependence on public assistance by preparing TANF recipients for a job by helping them with job readiness training, job skills training, vocational training, other educational training programs, and assisting them in finding and keeping a job.

All adult recipients included in TANF grants who are not exempt are required to participate in the TANF Work Program. The TANF Work Program provides orientation about work program requirements, helps determine individual skills and abilities to secure and keep a job, and assists individuals in determining their employment goals and developing an Employability Development Plan (EDP). The EDP describes the employment goal and provides the means to achieve the goal by giving TANF Work Program participants a chance to learn new skills and receive training so they and their families can become self–sufficient. The TANF Work Program helps individuals make decisions and solve problems, removes participation barriers, and provides supportive services, when needed, during participation.

Background/Program History: The TANF Work Program was implemented with the new TANF regulations in 1996 and was fully operational by July 1997. Mississippi had to change very little when implementing the TANF Work Program due to its predecessor Work First being very similar in scope and requirements.

In addition, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between MDHS and the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges (SBCJC) established guidelines for the work to be performed by MDHS and SBCJC for the assessment, enrollment, certification, follow–up, and performance standards as they relate to short-term career–related training programs for TANF Work Program participants.

Training is based on employer needs in a particular area of the State and on an individual's career goals and objectives, in conjunction with employer needs. Training is established through cooperative agreements with local community and junior colleges to provide employer certification/readiness training.

Training can be initiated by MDHS and SBCJC. MDHS determines employment and training needs through MDHS State/region/county staff's assessment of employers. Training needs also can be identified by SBCJC through community colleges and furnished to MDHS.

Innovations and Results: A subprogram of Mississippi's TANF Work Program is the Upfront Job Search, which refers TANF applicants directly to a case manager once the initial paperwork has been completed. During the 30–day TANF application processing period and before the TANF application is approved, the applicant attends a mini job readiness class that includes employment skill building related to interviews and resumes. The applicant then completes the TANF Work Program intake process, meets with a WIN Job Center counselor, and actively looks for a job. Many applicants are able to find jobs at this time. If this happens, they may choose to have their earned income disregarded for 3 months. If they choose to receive the earned income disregard, they receive their paychecks, TANF benefits, and TANF supportive services (child care and transportation). Once approved, recipients who maintain employment and have TANF benefits terminated due to finding employment may continue to receive TANF transitional work–related supportive services for a specified period of time. The Mississippi TANF Work Program also provides a job retention bonus for employed individuals who work an average of 30 hours or more per week. Job retention bonuses can pay up to $3,000 over 24 months and are distributed in 5 payments.

Number of Days EmployedAmount of Bonus90$200180$400270$600460$800730$1000

The Mississippi TANF Work Program has four different direct staff categories. The TANF eligibility worker/case manager determines the applicant's eligibility for TANF benefits and whether the applicant qualifies to participate in the TANF Work Program. The case manager works with eligible TANF recipients to develop EDPs, makes appropriate activity assignments, and assists with TANF work–related supportive services. Case managers are trained to calculate their own individual work participation rates. This enables them to stay abreast of their caseload status from month to month, as case managers must be conscientious about the time period for which TANF assistance is allowed. Participant attendance data are monitored on a week–to–week basis, enabling case managers to plan and make adjustments, when necessary, to make up missed hours before the end of the report month.

The job readiness trainer helps prepare participants for work by providing training on topics such as workplace expectations, interviewing skills, attitude, appropriate dress, hygiene, grooming, money management, and shopping. The employment coordinator assists with job search activities, job development, job placement, and job retention. The employment coordinator's duties include recruiting employers (marketing the program and participants), matching participants with available jobs, coaching/counseling newly employed participants, following up post–employment (employer and employee) to eliminate problems, identifying employer training needs, and initiating employer–specific training programs.

Funding: The program relies on Federal and State funding in order to provide services.

Staffing: Mississippi is organized into four economic assistance regions. Each region has a regional director that is overseen by a field operations director. Each county in a region has at least one case manager, with larger counties having multiple case managers. Regional directors oversee the operations of the various counties within their region. The State has 21 program specialists that monitor the counties' TANF program and provide hands–on programmatic and technical assistance to the case managers when needed. Program specialists also assist in making contact and building relationships with employers. The case managers work directly with participants to track their activity and progress and refer them for, or authorize, TANF work–related supportive services. When participants go "off track", case managers counsel the participants to resolve problems, if possible, before imposing timed penalties for noncompliance.

Implementation

Tips to Implementation: Staff training, regional and State office monitoring, and collaboration with other agencies are key factors in implementing and operating a program of this nature.

Keys to Success: A big key to the program's success is that case management is performed by MDHS. Case managers assist clients through the TANF Work Program participation process. Another key to success is continuously educating and training staff, which ensures that everyone from the direct line staff to administrators understands the program's policies, procedures, and requirements.

Successes: The main success is being able to keep a hands-on approach with all participants, which has helped the program not only reach but also exceed the federally mandated work participation rate.

Challenges: The TANF Work Program is supported by two online computer systems. The MAVERICS system is used to determine TANF eligibility and the JAWS system supports the TANF Work Program. A big challenge this program faced when implementing the TANF Work Program was programming the two computer systems to interface and designing the JAWS system to track participants and produce reports to support county, regional, and State staff. Another challenge was the direct line staff's mindset about the program; they no longer were running an entitlement program. The administrative staff needed to explain that TANF time limits and work program restrictions were federally mandated and not changed just at the State level. Another challenge facing the State's implementation was the advocates' concern that the State would begin to close cases without considering the well-being of recipients and their families. The State accepted the advocates' challenge and helped them overcome their fears by offering programs and work-related supportive services to help families transition from welfare to work.

Tools

The following tools are associated with Mississippi TANF Work Program. Please send us an email at upitoolkit@blhtech.com for more information about these tools.

Bulletin 6086

This official document provides details for processing and registering a TANF application in Mississippi.

TANF Work Program Services Brochure

Provides an overview of the supportive services provided by Mississippi's TANF Work Program.

Overview

Program/Practice Name: National Work Readiness Credential (WRC)

Agency Name: National Work Readiness Council

Contact Information:

Joseph Mizereck Executive Director National Work Readiness Council Phone: (800) 761-0907 Direct: (850) 320-3957 joe@nwrc.org www.workreadiness.com www.WINLearning.com

Type of Program/Practice: A national standardized assessment tool, WRC determines readiness for entry-level employment.

Description

Program/Practice Description: The National Work Readiness Credential (NWRC) is a nationally recognized credential that benchmarks foundational skill readiness for entry-level employment. To qualify for the credential, program participants must successfully pass four proctored assessments measuring a combination of applied, career-contextualized math, reading, listening, and situational judgement soft skills including conveying professionalism, communicating effectively, promoting teamwork and collaboration, and thinking critically and solving problems.

The qualifying assessments and credential were developed and first published in 2006 by the National Work Readiness Council (nwrc.org), a nonprofit workforce development, training and advocacy organization founded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a consortium of state workforce agencies in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Washington, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia. Employers across industries, chambers of commerce, unions, educators, and workforce training professionals were engaged in the design at each stage of the five-year development process. In 2015, the Council partnered with WIN Learning (winlearning.com), a national career readiness solutions company, as the sole source provider of the NWRC.

Comprehensive online curriculum is now offered to support program participant skill development and preparation for the NWRC assessments. The four qualifying NWRC assessments are proctored, delivered online, and take 55 minutes each to complete. Upon successfully passing all four qualifying assessments, the program participant is automatically awarded an electronic NWRC that may be printed or downloaded and shared with prospective employers.

Innovations and Results: The NWRC is currently being implemented in 28 states by high schools, adult education programs, juvenile justice and corrections providers, and other community-based workforce development organizations. The NWRC is –

• providing educator and workforce professionals highly effective tools to advance student / jobseeker career readiness;
• giving program participants a competitive edge in pursuing post-secondary education / training and employment;
• saving employers time and money by taking the guesswork out of the hiring process; and
• accelerating the development of the work ready talent necessary to grow state and local economies.

Validity and Reliability: The underlying NWRC standards are based on the Equipped for the Future standards developed by the National Institute for Literacy (nifl.gov) in partnership with the Center for Literacy, Education and Employment (clee.utk.edu) at the University of Tennessee and supported by more than 20 years of employer-focused research into the skills required for entry-level employment and job retention. The NWRC assessments have been extensively field tested and determined to be valid and reliable predictors of readiness for entry-level work and on-the-job training.

Costs: Implementation partners pay an annual $500 participation fee. The four assessments required to earn the NWRC start at $18 per learner / $4.50 per assessment; the curriculum starts at $45 per learner; and a combination of assessments and curriculum starts at $55 per learner. The assessments and curriculum may be purchased separately and discounts are offered based on volume.

Implementation

Tools

"There are no tools associated with this program."

Overview

Program/Practice Name: San Diego Job Club

Type of Program/Practice: An employment services practice geared toward helping Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients gain work skills and obtain gainful employment.

Contact Information: HHSA Employment Services Oceanside 1310 Union Plaza Ct., Ste. 200 Oceanside, CA 92054 Phone: (760) 696-9600

Description

Program/Practice Description: Job Clubs exist throughout the State of California, and the San Diego implementation represents a clear example of this positive approach to employment services. The Job Club serves active TANF (CalWorks) recipients who also may participate in school, training, mental health services, or substance abuse programs but are not exempt from work requirements. Most of the clients served are single parents of mixed ethnicity, often with minimal education and about 25 percent with criminal records. Over a four-week period, the Job Club provides assessment, job skills training, and assisted job search in a positive and empowering environment.

Innovations and Results: The San Diego Job Club offers services similar to most employment services programs, as it consists of a week of job skills training followed by three weeks of monitored job search. In the job skills training, participants work on applications, resumes, interviewing skills, and topics associated with self-esteem. However, this Job Club includes noteworthy innovation at the tactical level, integrating a comprehensive interview process (complete with a well decorated office with a video camera), bilingual services, and ongoing job fairs and employer panels. The program motivates clients to work by detailing how, by taking advantage of work supports, clients can considerably improve their net income. In addition, the service center uses a colorful Wall of Stars in which they post the names, job types, and wages obtained by all successful Job Club graduates. Staff further recognize client successes by ringing a bell, and presenting graduation certificates, prizes, and information on work supports. Through these motivators, the San Diego Job Club places 50 to 70 percent of clients in work, and these numbers are increasing.

Implementation

Tips to Implementation: Job Club staff suggest that other agencies looking to adopt some of these practices consider the following. First, they suggest that agencies consider their software and computer systems. California's implementation of the CalWin program assisted with Job Club functions by reducing the time spent on data entry, thus increasing face-to-face time with customers. Second, the Job Club recommends that agencies get to know and understand their clients thoroughly, and make sure employers also understand the clients with whom they will work. This can most easily be accomplished through meetings with employers and employer events. Additionally, agencies must maintain flexibility and be willing to adapt to client needs.

Keys to Success: The San Diego Job Club highlights several factors as keys to its success:

• With initial evaluation and re-assessment the Job Club thoroughly assesses clients to identify and resolve barriers to employment.
• Through supportive services the CalWorks program offers significant supports and incentives to TANF customers who successfully engage in and complete their program. In addition to continuous child care while their TANF cases are open, successful clients receive child care for two years after obtaining work. They also can receive non-Calworks/Health and Human Services Agency funded child care assistance at the conclusion of those two years. As an added incentive, through separate CalWorks funding, clients can receive $50 for obtaining a job and $200 for retaining the job for 90 days.
• The San Diego Job Club ultimately attributes its success to the climate created by program staff. Job Club offers a supportive environment in which clients can bond and receive personal attention from program staff.
• Although the agency lost its funding for this program, retirees serving as senior mentors would meet with clients individually, and sometimes even made house calls to provide support to struggling families.

Tools

The following tools are associated with San Diego Job Club. Please send us an email at upitoolkit@blhtech.com for more information about these tools.

CalWorks Employment Services Employment Information

Job Club Employment Package

CalWorks Employment Services & Your Business: A Relationship Working for You

Employer Panel Information

Job Club Schedule

"It Really Does Pay to Work" Income Formula

Job Search Tracking Forms

Overview

Program/Practice Name:The WorkKeys® System

Agency Name: ACT

Contact Information:

Phone: (800) WORKKEY (967-5539) workkeys@act.org www.act.org/workkeys

Type of Program/Practice: WorkKeys® is a job skills assessment system that helps employers select, hire, train, develop, and retain a high-performance workforce.

Description

Program/Practice Description: WorkKeys is a job skills assessment system measuring "real world" skills employers believe are critical to job success. These skills are valuable for any occupation–skilled or professional– and at any level of education.

Components include:

Job Analysis (Profiling) Identify the skill requirements and WorkKeys skill levels an individual must have to perform successfully.

WorkKeys Assessments Measure the current skills of individuals in four key areas:

• Communication Assessments: Business Writing, Listening for Understanding, and Reading for Information
• Problem–Solving Assessments: Applied Mathematics, Applied Technology, Locating Information, and Workplace Observation
• Interpersonal Skills Assessment: Teamwork
• Personal Skills Assessments: Performance, Talent, and Fit

Training

KeyTrain® is the complete interactive learning tool for career readiness skills. At its foundation is a targeted curriculum written specifically to help people master the applied workplace skills as defined by the WorkKeys® system. This core curriculum is complemented by diagnostic tools, soft skills curriculum, and a powerful reporting system to form a robust career readiness learning system.

Innovations and Results: WorkKeys links education and workforce partners within a community by offering a common language to help them communicate about job skill requirements needed to develop employees and build a better workforce.

The system is designed to:

• Help instructors/educators identify gaps between student skills and employment needs
• Develop more efficient teaching
• Enable students to see a reason to take coursework seriously
• Reduce turnover, overtime, and waste while increasing morale
• Get the most efficiency from your training practices
• Keep employers from moving entry–level jobs to other cities, states, or countries

The WorkKeys system is used by thousands of companies worldwide as a tool to help employers select, hire, train, develop, and retain the high–performance workforce necessary to compete successfully in today's global economy.

Case studies are available at http://www.act.org/workforce/case

Validity and Reliability: WorkKeys tests are valid and reliable. Technical manuals provide further information on validity and reliability and are available by contacting WorkKeys.

Costs: Sites interested in becoming testing centers should contact ACT.

Implementation

Tools

"There are no tools associated with this program."