Strategic Job Placement for Advancement

Overview

Program/Practice Name: Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI)

Contact Information:

Krista Díaz Contract/Support Services Manager Seattle Jobs Initiative 830 4th Avenue South. Suite 206 Seattle, WA 98134 Phone:(206)628-6976 Fax:(206)628-6986 kdiaz@seattlejobsinit.com www.seattlejobsinitiative.com

Type of Program/Practice: SJI, a nonprofit organization, creates opportunities for low-income individuals, primarily minority, refugee, immigrant, and homeless populations, to support themselves and their families through living wage careers.

Description

Program/Practice Description: A workforce intermediary, SJI helps low-income residents secure and advance in living wage careers by creatively aligning support services, including housing, child care, transportation, and counseling, with short-term sector-based job training. By partnering with local businesses that are seeking qualified employees, SJI links students to internships and jobs. SJI's policy team complements its work by researching and advocating for legislative changes that improve access to training and services for low-income residents.

Background/Program History: SJI originated as one of the first initiatives under the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Jobs Initiative. In late 2002, SJI was incorporated as a nonprofit organization.

Innovations and Results: SJI offers low-income individuals three training/job placement options:1) short-term cohort training in growing industry sectors (currently manufacturing/welding, office occupations, automotive, and construction); 2) a sector pathways program that provides very short-term job-specific training through non-SJI training programs; and 3) an individualized placement program for those seeking immediate employment. Participants in SJI's programs receive training in soft skills (the attributes and attitudes that equip individuals to succeed as workers), interview and job search skills, and money management. SJI also provides access to the services job seekers require to be prepared for training and job placement and able to retain employment over the long term. This may include basic services such as housing, as well as services that support employment, such as child care, transportation, and counseling. SJI places significant emphasis on standards and outcomes and uses performance-based contracting with all service providers, in particular tracking retention and placement. SJI's results-oriented program is also highly responsive to the needs of employers. SJI works directly with employers through an employer broker to identify and fill job openings and to develop and deliver training programs that respond to employer needs and reflect real workplace expectations. SJI maintains an Employer Advisory Board that meets quarterly and influences curriculum development, based on its knowledge of skill needs and hiring trends.

SJI has achieved more than 5,400 placements with hundreds of local employers, at a starting wage averaging nearly $12 an hour plus benefits. About 60 percent of placed individuals have retained their jobs at one year; about 40 percent have advanced in their positions within that period.

Funding: SJI receives the majority of its funding from the City of Seattle and local foundations.

Capacity Building: SJI offers a comprehensive 60-hour Case Management Best Practices and Standards training, as well as specific trainings for case managers in job development, employer engagement, recruitment, teaching clients financial literacy, retention, and effective use of client data. SJI convenes community-based organizations, community colleges, and workforce agencies to continuously review and develop best practices for helping low-income people become self-sufficient through a coordinated workforce development system. SJI is in the process of rolling out a modular Case Management Best Practices and Standards train-the-trainer curriculum for use by college advisory staff.

Policy and Research: SJI's policy work seeks to increase opportunities for low-income job seekers and workers to obtain the skills and knowledge they need to connect to and succeed in jobs with good wages, benefits, and career advancement potential, and to improve their economic circumstances through employment, work supports, and money management skills. The program is unique in the region for its in-depth policy research and advocacy for reform of the region's workforce development system. SJI's policy work is local, regional, and national in scope and focuses on:

• Identifying growth industries and occupations;
• Improving community college access and effectiveness for low-income adults;
• Creating a better coordinated workforce development system in King County for low-income adults; and
• Ensuring economic development strategies provide ample middle wage jobs that are accessible to low-income adults.

Implementation

Tips to Implementation: SJI has been able to respond to employer needs because of its emphasis on involving employers and on its own labor market research. Industries are reviewed and monitored carefully and then selected according to the demands of the local economy.

Keys to Success:

• Coordination of practice, research, training, and services with employers, industries, community-based organizations, and community colleges.

• Maintaining a responsive and updated training and industry focus that is dependent on the local economy.

Tools

The following tools are associated with Seattle Jobs Initiative. Please send us an email at upitoolkit@blhtech.com for more information about these tools.

Program Flow Chart

Seattle Jobs Initiative's Job Trends Report, September 2007

Explanation of SJI Phases

Overview

Program/Practice Name: Tiered Employment Program

Agency Name: EDSI

Contact Information:

Raymond Eibel Phone: (215) 637-5611 Phone: (215) 356-7722 Phone: (919) 366-9130 Reibel@edsisolutions.com

Type of Program/Practice: A contractor that works to employ TANF clients in phases that allow for wage progression and increased job retention.

Description

Program/Practice Description: EDSI is a Michigan-based company that holds 35 percent of Pittsburgh caseloads and operates two Employment, Advancement, and Retention Network (EARN)1 centers in Philadelphia. The unique Tiered Employment Program has played an integral role in improving both cities' work participation rates by effectively engaging employers and TANF customers for sustained employment and wage progression.

Background/Program History: The idea for Tiered Employment originally stemmed from the Detroit Chamber of Commerce, which developed a ladder system. The initial implementation failed to catch on, due to economic pressures and a number of other factors, but EDSI realized the value of the idea and refined it. EDSI sent 150 questionnaires to employers to find out the average wages of their employees and the average length of time that employers were able to retain those workers. Thereafter, job developers continuously met with employers to learn more about their expectations and their successes. With this information, they were able to develop a process that evolved into a true partnership with the business community in that it enabled EDSI to improve employer's bottom line while simultaneously advancing low-wage workers.

Innovations and Results: The backbone of EDSI's successful operations is the tiered approach to employment, based upon the belief that TANF customers often quit jobs because they fail to see progress along the career ladder, while employers often struggle to retain and replace effective low-wage workers. Early on in the programs, Pittsburgh produced some positive results. From March 20, 2002 until March 20, 2003, 55 employers participated in the Tiered Employment Program and 435 people were enrolled/employed in the program. Seventy-six percent of the 435 (330) were still working at the end of March 2003.

Operations: EDSI develops relationships with employers, knowing that the average retention time is two months for frontline workers. EDSI essentially promises to provide an employee for six months, and then remove that person to advance him or her to a new position, while providing the original employer with a replacement for the next six months. By providing an entry-level worker with a chance to be promoted, the TANF client has the incentive to work consistently toward a promotion. By retaining that person for four months longer than the average entry-level worker, and by providing employers with a job-ready replacement, EDSI is able to reduce costs for the employers as well. This strategic process facilitates the engagement of both the worker and the employer, and continues through three levels of employment to enable the client to achieve self-sufficiency.

Partnering with Employers: EDSI classifies employers' job opportunities as Tier I, Tier II, or Tier III, based on the position available, wage, compensation, hours per week, and benefits. Employment development organizations were trained in the processes of identifying, classifying, and qualifying employers and job seekers for the program. Interested job seekers were provided with information about the program, and those demonstrating a commitment to be involved received an in-depth orientation and assessment to determine the level at which they should enter the program.

Staffing: While job developers are essential for making connections with employers and working with case managers to place customers in appropriate work, another key staff person is the tiered employment coordinator. This individual continuously watches the database of client workers to monitor their progress in a position. When clients successfully maintain employment for the designated time period, the tiered employment coordinator helps them access the next tier. When a client fills a position, that job opportunity is taken out of the database and a different client takes over the Tier I role.

1 The Employment, Advancement, and Retention Network (EARN) Program is a joint initiative of the Pennsylvania Departments of Public Welfare and Labor and Industry.

Implementation

Tips to Implementation: Agencies interested in implementing a successful work advancement program like Tiered Employment should consider the makeup of their clients and the focus of the program. For example, an agency needs to identify whether it is a welfare-to-work program or a training/educational program and how the Tiered Employment model would add to its service delivery. In addition, a program needs to obtain buy-in from all involved parties and staff to enable it to run efficiently.

Keys to Success: EDSI cites the following factors as major contributors to its success in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh:

• Be thorough with clients – according to EDSI, people sometimes fail to show up for work because they do not understand all the details. EDSI staff make a special point to cover all the information clients need to get to their workplace and perform successfully. For example, EDSI helps clients plan the proper bus routes and has their job developers tour the sites prior to client placement.
• Open communication – this applies to communication throughout the EDSI staff, in that case managers need to communicate a client's abilities to job developers, who in turn must communicate to employers to properly match a client with a job.
• Employer buy-in – EDSI "sells" its customers to the employers, as job developers teach employers how Tiered Employment benefits their bottom line. The idea is that once the client gets his or her foot in the door, that client can advance through the system. EDSI carefully considers the fact that employers have different needs and can offer only certain types of positions. EDSI works carefully to maintain contact with employers and ensure their needs are being met. Also, by developing a network of diverse employers, EDSI helps its clients develop and leverage transferable skills.

Successes: EDSI's success with the Tiered Employment Program is dependent on the consistent nature of the strategy. To help clients retain employment, several steps are taken: implementing clear goals that clients must reach before advancing to the next employment level; contacting working clients at least once per week; developing strong relationships with both employers and clients; offering cash to clients during emergencies; offering financial incentives for job retention; empowering clients to use supportive services; and most importantly, making each client feel supported throughout the process. EDSI notes that clients feel confident they are not going to be dropped after six months, which leads to increased self-esteem and participation in the Tiered Employment Program.

Other Lessons Learned: While the Tiered Employment Program provides a great structure for the average client to find and maintain employment, it does not work as well for the hardest-to-serve customers. EDSI runs one of Philadelphia's EARN centers, but it contracts with outside providers to meet the needs of clients facing domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health, generational poverty, and other issues.

Tools

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

Tiered Employment Path