Work Retention

Overview

Program/Practice Name: Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)

Agency Name: Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), 501(c)3

Contact Information:

50 Broadway, 18 Fl New York, NY 10004 Phone: 212-422-4430 Fax: 212-248-4432 info@ceoworks.org www.ceoworks.org

Type of Program/Practice: The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) is dedicated to providing immediate, effective and comprehensive employment services to men and women with recent criminal convictions. Our highly structured and tightly supervised programs help participants regain the skills and confidence needed for a successful transition to a stable, productive life.

Description

Background/Program History: Created as an innovative demonstration project by the Vera Institute of Justice in the late 1970s, CEO has been an independent nonprofit corporation since 1996.

Program/Practice Description: The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) program model includes immediate time–limited transitional work and developing full time employment. Through transitional work, clients are able to work and receive pay at the end of each workday. The transitional jobs also give clients an opportunity to practice the behaviors they learned in the classroom (ability to be on time, communicate, take direction, and be productive) and to demonstrate their job readiness when they secure full time employment.

CEO has developed a series of innovative practices and programs for hard–to–employ individuals and their employers. CEO's initial screening practice and orientation is an in–depth orientation for new enrollees, during which program objectives, expectations, and benefits are discussed with participants. CEO provides an intensive four–day job readiness workshops, facilitated by experienced Life Skills Instructors to teach participants valuable skills including resume writing techniques, job–searching skills, personal presentation, basics of communication, how to discuss conviction and criminal history on an interview, and appropriate workplace behavior.

Upon completion of these workshops, participants are ready to graduate and begin working on CEO's transitional work sites: short–term, minimum wage employment for participants. CEO's job development component works with clients to assess their vocational potential and help them strategically play an integral part in the job search process by contacting employers and scheduling interviews. Job Coaches and Job Developers conduct in–depth vocational aptitude tests for current job openings and match participant skills to employer generated opportunities.

Although employment is CEO's major concern, CEO has been able to also provide a comprehensive list of re–entry services.

Single Stop: Single Stop helps individuals navigate the public benefits system and access other important services that can break down barriers to employment. Single Stop can provide assistance with putting food on the table, obtaining medical insurance, planning a financially stable future for families, and accessing legal services.

Parents: CEO offers workshops and group support for parents in the CEO program. All programs are intended to help parents provide the financial and emotional support their children need. The programs help parents navigate the child support system, re–engage with their children, mediate visitation and custody issues, and offer information on how to deal with court-ordered child support payments. CEO helps to improve parenting skills by educating parents in topics including proper discipline and the developmental stages of a child. If eligible, participants can enroll in CEO's Young Parenting Demonstration Program or the Low–Income Dads Program. In addition to support specifically for each program, all participants in these programs are eligible to receive life skills education, short–term paid transitional employment, full–time job placement, and post–placement services.

New York City's CEO Academy: The CEO Academy is a trade preparation program that prepares participants with criminal convictions for entrance into trade school, supports them throughout training, and helps find them jobs in the trades after they finish training. Participants in the academy receive their hands–on training at Hostos Community College or at LaGuardia Community College and receive a certificate from these institutions in plumbing, electricity, or carpentry.

CEO also offers pre–placement training opportunities for all participants in New York City. CEO's training opportunities are short, effective training programs that teach usable entry–level skills to CEO job–seekers. Participants in CEO's training programs all receive Certifications of Completion. Training Programs have included OSHA 10-hour Training, Customer Service Training, Warehouse/Forklift Training, Construction 101 Training, a Sanitation Training Program, and a Computer Training Program. As a solution towards educational barriers that can often hinder employment, CEO has a GED Program for participants who are in need of Pre–GED and GED Testing Training.

Operations: CEO is a national organization serving New York, Oklahoma, and California. Headquartered in New York City, the organization is run by Central Operations, New York City Operations, and National Operations. All of the offices work through a single Human Resources and Fiscal Department from New York City-based Central Operations. Each office outside of New York City is lead by an area coordinator or director and is comprised of case managers.

CEO partners with multiple community based organizations to provide transitional jobs for CEO's participants. By hiring CEO for cleaning and maintenance, seasonal tasks, or one–time jobs, customers benefit from our crew–based model that provides cost–effective, readily available, and responsibly managed labor. CEO has remained competitive in this business arena over the years for several reasons. First, CEO work crews are highly flexible and responsive. Ranging in size from 5–10 participants, crews can easily move from site–to–site throughout the work week or even throughout a single work day. Second, our crews have strong professional leadership. Every CEO crew is supervised by our own professional site supervisor who has a background in the work needed for a facilities and/or grounds operation. Our site supervisors are able to lead a crew of participants in order to meet all daily production goals. Further, site supervisors receive specific training including first aid, drug abuse awareness, and defensive driving. Third, CEO assumes responsibility for directly paying and managing the crew, easing any administrative burden.

Funding: CEO uses a funding model that combines philanthropic, government, and earned income equally. Because of this model, CEO is able to leverage each of the funding streams to better support its programmatic efforts. As an example, training supported by a foundation may allow us to expand the type of work our Transitional Jobs crews can do. This work experience could help our permanent job placements supported by government resources. As the organization has expanded throughout New York State and to Oklahoma and California, CEO has been able to replicate the funding model. As with any non–profit, we look to our Board for support in each of these areas. The Board has a Give & Get requirement and they assist with the other funding areas as needed.

Staffing: CEO staff members are dedicated to our mission and to the successful re–entry of each participant. Staff includes certified case managers, instructors, and counselors. CEO has job coaches, who work with clients and specialize in helping each participant seek and perform their jobs successfully. Job coaches provide intensive monitoring, training, assessment, and support to participants and facilitate healthy working relationships between participants and employers. Also, CEO uses job developers in charge of building a job search plan with participants based on the individual's skills, aptitudes, and abilities. A full–time site supervisor directs each participant during the transitional employment phase, and assists in the development of skills and trade–ready applications.

Implementation

Tips to Implementation: CEO has established key strategic partnerships with the New York State Division of Parole and other vital social services, including relationships with local community colleges, health care facilities, technical training institutes, the New York Department of Social Services, the New York criminal justice departments, and other community and social stakeholders. Re–entry requires clients to have tools and resources to reduce recidivism. CEO works with community partners that address addictions (relapse prevention, coping skills, and community resource referrals), mental health treatment, and, through a partnership with Career Gear and Dress for Success, obtaining new and used business attire and accessories.

Successes: CEO places clients in full time jobs within two to three months of release. Over the life of the program, more than 14,000 participants have been placed with full time jobs and CEO has developed relationships with more than 500 different area businesses and organizations. CEO has nurtured important coalitions and partnerships that have established it as a key organization for the re–entry community. CEO's methodology has been replicated in many parts of the country. Through its Responsible Fatherhood Program, since 2001 CEO clients have contributed more than $1,000,000 in child support payments on behalf of their children.

Challenges: Challenges include negative perceptions of people with criminal histories, limited technical and business acculturation skills, lack of strong work histories, and minimal formal education, all of which affects client employability. Community perceptions and stigma continue to plague former inmates, but CEO works with stakeholders to improve perceptions and reduce the impact the stigma has on client re–entry. Throughout New York, there are multiple barriers to employment. About 70% of formerly incarcerated people do not have a high school diploma and most have few work skills, limited work experience, and no references. Furthermore, surveys find employers are much more reluctant to hire people with records than they are any other disadvantaged group. In order to break these barriers, CEO acts as an intermediary between job seekers with criminal convictions and employers. CEO helps clients develop an employment plan that matches their skills with current job openings. Employers are then willing to lower their apprehension and hire CEO workers because they have a work reference through CEO's transitional work program and the staff gets to know the job seekers and properly match them to the employers' needs. In fact, in 2010 during the worst economic downturn that this country has had, CEO secured 1,098 full–time job placements for people with criminal convictions in New York City.

Other Lessons Learned: CEO was born in the 1970s as a Vera Institute of Justice demonstration project; the agency was created to test this idea: What would happen if, instead of meeting barriers to employment, people coming home from incarceration were offered immediate, paid transitional jobs and help rejoining the permanent workforce? CEO's Theory of Change posits that if the employment needs of people with criminal convictions are addressed at their most vulnerable point –when they are first released from incarceration or soon after conviction —–they will be less likely to re–offend and more likely to build a positive foundation for themselves and their families.

This assumption has been borne out in independent research on CEO's program conducted by the respected social policy research organization MDRC, and funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services. MDRC's three–year randomized, controlled study of CEO showed that for individuals recently released from incarceration, participation in CEO resulted in lower rates on all measures of recidivism, including arrests, convictions, and returns to jail and prison. Convictions of a crime fell by over 22 percent, and re–incarceration for a new crime fell by over 26 percent—–outcomes MDRC not only deemed statistically significant but "rare" for rigorous studies of this kind.

MDRC's evaluation also showed that CEO dramatically increased employment during the year after an individual's release from prison, and found that for those who came to the agency within three months of their release, participation in CEO had positive impacts on full–time employment for up to three years. A final cost–benefit analysis, conducted jointly by MDRC and the Vera Institute of Justice, is scheduled for release in the near future, and will show a 3:1 benefit/cost ratio for participation in CEO.

Also, CEO's program model depends on extensive data tracking across a variety of measures, using an in–house web–based adaptation of a customer relationship management (CRM) database. CEO has customized user profiles for direct program job titles and every program employee is required to document their work in the system in real time. CEO's adaptation of the CRM database has contributed significantly to the ability to share information and track outcomes at our offices in real time.

Tools

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

Passport to Success

Strategies for Obtaining Employment

Creating Change That Works Brochure

Lesson Plan Example

Overview

Program/Practice Name: Denver International Airport (DIA) Workforce Center

Agency Name: Denver Office of Economic Development, Division of Workforce Development

Contact Information:

Patrick Giron Economic Development Supervisor 8500 Pena Blvd. Denver, CO 80249 Phone: (303) 342-2577 Fax: (303) 342-2592 patrick.giron@denvergov.org

Type of Program/Practice: The Office of Economic Development, Division of Workforce Development has partnered with DIA to provide training at DIA in customer service, English as a Second Language (ESL), and cultural diversity, as well as job readiness training that includes intensive coaching/mentoring services.

Description

Program/Practice Description: The Denver Workforce Center is located at DIA and seeks to connect those with little work experience and multiple barriers to work with employment opportunities at DIA. The Office of Economic Development, Division of Workforce Development works in partnership with the Community College of Denver's Corporate Training Center (Performance Solutions), Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning, DIA, and employers to provide training in:

• Workplace ESL
• Cash handling
• Customer service
• Intercultural communication
• DIA security badge test preparation training

The center also offers a certificate program in workplace ESL, which is a 60-hour training over 12 weeks funded by a joint effort between the City and County of Denver and the Colorado Department of Education. The program is taught by instructors from the Spring Institute and the two areas of focus for this curriculum are airport customer service and workplace communication.

Innovations and Results: This unique initiative was designed to address airport employers' continuing need for qualified and competent employees to fill entry-level and mid-level management positions. Simultaneously, it was designed to meet job seekers' needs for career guidance and training in order to obtain jobs that offer growth and sustainable incomes. This initiative has shown significant results and improvement in workers' skills. Trainings and classes have raised self-esteem, morale, and productivity of entry-level workers. Additionally, businesses have seen revenue increases resulting from their employees' ability to provide better customer service.

Implementation

Tips to Implementation: Having the Denver Workforce Center at DIA has allowed staff to serve customers as well as airport businesses successfully. Customers are able to access valuable training, job placement services, and employment opportunities while employers can draw from a pool of employees who have undergone training directly related to their businesses. The onsite center makes it easy for customers and employers to drop in and check with the staff, and for staff to follow up in case additional issues arise. Identifying funding sources and developing sustainable partnerships are important. Patience on the part of funders also is needed as these types of programs may have a slow start and take time to demonstrate results. It is essential to spend time marketing to employers and businesses and developing relationships to create employment opportunities for customers.

Keys to Success: The staff have been vital to making the center a successful, inviting environment. The staff's first priority is helping customers. To be successful, staff must be able to show customers how the trainings and classes can help them, keep customers motivated, build customer trust, and help customers address their barriers to work.

The center also has done an excellent job of serving DIA, its employers, and customers by equipping clients with the skills needed to be successful at these jobs. Employers know they are hiring competent workers, while customers complete training with a specific skill that is immediately applicable. The adaptability and flexibility of the initiative also allow the center to tailor trainings to the special needs of employers and customers, which has been key.

Challenges:

• Delays in opening the new Denver Workforce Center and launching the program at the airport.

• Helping individuals understand how training would help them obtain a job and build a network.

• Keeping individuals motivated.

• Transportation has been a challenge, although the majority of those seeking jobs at the airport live in the vicinity.

• Marketing the program to airport businesses and customers.

Tools

The following tools are associated with Denver International Airport (DIA) Workforce Center. Please send us an email at upitoolkit@blhtech.com for more information about these tools.

Trainings and Seminars

Details of the DIA Workforce Center's educational offerings.

Overview

Program/Practice Name: Family Mentoring Program, Family Pathfinders of Tarrant County

Agency Name: Tarrant County Workforce Development Board, d.b.a. Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County under the auspices of The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)

Contact Information:

Kathryn Arnold, Executive Director Peggy Badlato, Family Mentoring Program P.O. Box 470869, Fort Worth, TX 76147 Family Pathfinders of Tarrant County, Inc. Phone: (817) 731-1173 info@familypathfinders.org familypathfinders.org/

Type of Program/Practice: The Family Pathfinders Mentoring Program assists families transitioning off Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) by providing a network of volunteers from faith-based, civic, or community organizations who assist the family in overcoming obstacles that could derail their progress toward self-sufficiency.

Description

Program/Practice Description: The Family Pathfinders Mentoring Program supplements services provided by Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County. As TANF recipients work within the workforce system to find employment and achieve self–sufficiency, the Family Pathfinders program matches recipients and their families to a network of community support. The network is a volunteer mentoring team consisting of three to five people from faith–based, civic, or other organizations. Support provided to TANF families can include tutoring for children, car maintenance, helping the family navigate State or private systems (such as banking and medical), locating community resources, finding housing, monthly budgeting, and other support as needed. Mentor teams help families gain self–sufficiency by showing them how to achieve independence rather than by providing monetary support. Families that are ready for Family Pathfinders are those that already have addressed major barriers such as drug or alcohol problems and show a commitment and desire to becoming self–sufficient. Since Mentoring is a post–employment program, participants must be employed when referred to Family Pathfinders.

Background/Program History: Family Pathfinders began in Austin in June 1996 as part of the Texas response to welfare reform legislation. By 1997, the program was operating in Tarrant County. In 2004, Tarrant County Family Pathfinders established 501(c)3 status and became Family Pathfinders of Tarrant County, Inc.

Innovations and Results: Finding a job is only the beginning of self–sufficiency and many TANF families need additional support to remain employed and self–sufficient. In the Family Pathfinders program, each selected family works with a team devoted to helping them solve problems, plan, and navigate the world as a self–sufficient family. Ninety percent of selected families complete the 1–year program. Of those, 85 percent stop receiving TANF benefits and have not returned to TANF after one year.

Operations: TWC/Workforce Solutions Choices case managers refer TANF recipients to Family Pathfinders upon employment. Family Pathfinders recruits volunteer mentors through churches, civic organizations, or corporations. TANF recipients are screened for program readiness and matched with a team of volunteer mentors. Matching is completed based on volunteer mentor team preference for family type and geographic location. All volunteer teams receive six hours of training, volunteer handbooks, and community resource guides. Family Pathfinders provides ongoing support to the mentors throughout the year.

Implementation

Tips to Implementation: When considering implementing a mentorship program like that of Family Pathfinders, organizations or cities should consider their funding streams and who the program will be able to serve. They also should consider the channels by which TANF clients will be referred and connections to community organizations from which volunteer mentors will be recruited. Building connections with community organizations and recruiting from these organizations is a time consuming but necessary investment.

Keys to Success:

• Family Pathfinders has attained 501(c)3 status.
• The program has a participant referral source through Workforce Solutions.
• Family Pathfinders has established relationships with community and faith–based organizations.
• The program supports a three-way relationships among mentors, mentees, and staff.

Challenges: The program is funded through TANF Choices Plus as a post–employment service. Due to restrictions on TANF funds, Family Pathfinders cannot continue to serve a client who terminates with TANF because of time limits (they may still serve clients terminating TANF due to employment). Currently, these issues are addressed at the screening stage, with the program looking for participants as they become employed.

Since the Mentoring Program is a post–employment opportunity for TANF recipients, participants must be referred within the window between attaining employment and closing the TANF case. For this reason, the Mentoring Coordinator must work closely with TANF case managers to get referrals at the appropriate time. In addition, any organization that undertakes a mentoring program should consider seeking funding for families that do not fall within the guidelines of a TANF post–employment benefit.

Recruiting volunteer mentors is the most time consuming task in the Mentoring Program, so there must be a clear plan for volunteer recruitment. It requires considerable communication and often takes several months from initial contact to mentor readiness. This span of time must be built into the program so that mentors are trained and available when participants are ready to be matched. The team approach provides the greatest likelihood of a successful mentorship, but recruitment, training, and communication can require a greater investment than individual mentoring.

Tools

The following tools are associated with Family Mentoring Program, Family Pathfinders of Tarrant County. Please send us an email at upitoolkit@blhtech.com for more information about these tools.

Reports

Monthly Program Summary, Client Summary, and Monthly Narrative; shows the data Family Pathfinders tracks and reports monthly to the workforce center and Board staff/TWC

Family Application to Participate in Family Pathfinders

Application for TANF families

Overview

Program/Practice Name: Family Mentoring Program, Family Pathfinders of Tarrant County

Agency Name: Tarrant County Workforce Development Board, d.b.a. Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County under the auspices of The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)

Contact Information:

Kathryn Arnold, Executive Director Randall High, Family Mentoring Program P.O. Box 470869, Fort Worth, TX 76147 Pathfinders of Tarrant County, Inc. Phone: (817) 731-1173 info@pathfinderstc.org pathfindersTC.org/

Type of Program/Practice: The Pathfinders Mentoring Program assists families transitioning off Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) by providing a network of volunteers from faith-based, civic, or community organizations who assist the family in overcoming obstacles that could derail their progress toward self-sufficiency.

Description

Program/Practice Description: The Family Pathfinders Mentoring Program supplements services provided by Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County. As TANF recipients work within the workforce system to find employment and achieve self–sufficiency, the Family Pathfinders program matches recipients and their families to a network of community support. The network is a volunteer mentoring team consisting of three to five people from faith–based, civic, or other organizations. Support provided to TANF families can include tutoring for children, car maintenance, helping the family navigate State or private systems (such as banking and medical), locating community resources, finding housing, monthly budgeting, and other support as needed. Mentor teams help families gain self–sufficiency by showing them how to achieve independence rather than by providing monetary support. Families that are ready for Family Pathfinders are those that already have addressed major barriers such as drug or alcohol problems and show a commitment and desire to becoming self–sufficient. Since Mentoring is a post–employment program, participants must be employed when referred to Family Pathfinders.

Background/Program History: Family Pathfinders began in Austin in June 1996 as part of the Texas response to welfare reform legislation. By 1997, the program was operating in Tarrant County. In 2004, Tarrant County Family Pathfinders established 501(c)3 status and became Family Pathfinders of Tarrant County, Inc.

Innovations and Results: Finding a job is only the beginning of self–sufficiency and many TANF families need additional support to remain employed and self–sufficient. In the Family Pathfinders program, each selected family works with a team devoted to helping them solve problems, plan, and navigate the world as a self–sufficient family. Ninety percent of selected families complete the 1–year program. Of those, 85 percent stop receiving TANF benefits and have not returned to TANF after one year.

Operations: TWC/Workforce Solutions Choices case managers refer TANF recipients to Family Pathfinders upon employment. Family Pathfinders recruits volunteer mentors through churches, civic organizations, or corporations. TANF recipients are screened for program readiness and matched with a team of volunteer mentors. Matching is completed based on volunteer mentor team preference for family type and geographic location. All volunteer teams receive six hours of training, volunteer handbooks, and community resource guides. Family Pathfinders provides ongoing support to the mentors throughout the year.

Implementation

Tips to Implementation: When considering implementing a mentorship program like that of Family Pathfinders, organizations or cities should consider their funding streams and who the program will be able to serve. They also should consider the channels by which TANF clients will be referred and connections to community organizations from which volunteer mentors will be recruited. Building connections with community organizations and recruiting from these organizations is a time consuming but necessary investment.

Keys to Success:

• Family Pathfinders has attained 501(c)3 status.
• The program has a participant referral source through Workforce Solutions.
• Family Pathfinders has established relationships with community and faith–based organizations.
• The program supports a three-way relationships among mentors, mentees, and staff.

Challenges: The program is funded through TANF Choices Plus as a post–employment service. Due to restrictions on TANF funds, Family Pathfinders cannot continue to serve a client who terminates with TANF because of time limits (they may still serve clients terminating TANF due to employment). Currently, these issues are addressed at the screening stage, with the program looking for participants as they become employed.

Since the Mentoring Program is a post–employment opportunity for TANF recipients, participants must be referred within the window between attaining employment and closing the TANF case. For this reason, the Mentoring Coordinator must work closely with TANF case managers to get referrals at the appropriate time. In addition, any organization that undertakes a mentoring program should consider seeking funding for families that do not fall within the guidelines of a TANF post–employment benefit.

Recruiting volunteer mentors is the most time consuming task in the Mentoring Program, so there must be a clear plan for volunteer recruitment. It requires considerable communication and often takes several months from initial contact to mentor readiness. This span of time must be built into the program so that mentors are trained and available when participants are ready to be matched. The team approach provides the greatest likelihood of a successful mentorship, but recruitment, training, and communication can require a greater investment than individual mentoring.

Tools

The following tools are associated with Family Mentoring Program, Family Pathfinders of Tarrant County. Please send us an email at upitoolkit@blhtech.com for more information about these tools.

Reports

Monthly Program Summary, Client Summary, and Monthly Narrative; shows the data Family Pathfinders tracks and reports monthly to the workforce center and Board staff/TWC

Family Application to Participate in Family Pathfinders

Application for TANF families

Overview

Program/Practice Name: Northern Connections, Inc.

Contact Information:

Maureen Kenney 150 2nd Street SW, P.O. Box 390 Perham, MN 56573 Phone: (218) 346-2555 (direct) Phone: (218) 346-4624 (general)

Type of Program/Practice:

Northern Connections, a nonprofit organization serving rural west-central Minnesota, is a proactive, outbound communication center that blends innovative technology with high-touch, intensive human services provided by skilled professionals. Participants are individuals and families moving from the Minnesota Family Investment Program or Diversionary Work Program to self-sufficiency.

Description

Program/Practice Description: Northern Connections offers a variety of services including:

• Job retention counseling to build problem-solving skills that promote longevity on the job.
• Re-employment counseling and services, including job searches, resume building, skill assessment, and job readiness skill building.
• Career advancement counseling for career paths and educational planning.
• Asset accumulation counseling to connect customers to checking and savings account resources, financial counseling, and education on home ownership opportunities.
• Human service referrals to necessary agencies and follow-up on behalf of agencies.
• Information sharing calls to inform customers about important services such as Earned Income Tax Credit clinics, job fairs, or other events or leads that promote self-sufficiency.

Background/Program History: As part of West Central Initiative's Family Economic Success project, a team including West Central Initiative, regional organizations serving low-wage families, and Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program (a Minnesota WorkForce Center) visited Connectinc in North Carolina and determined that it was possible to replicate the North Carolina program in Minnesota. Representatives from the Department of Human Services and Department of Employment and Economic Development visited Connectinc and determined that the program was worth replicating. A grant was awarded from West Central Initiative in mid-2005 and, by August 2006, Northern Connections was operational.

Innovations and Results: Although still in the early stages of program operations, Northern Connections has made an impact, demonstrating a 95-98 percent participation rate.

Operations: All services are provided by telephone using the software developed by Connectinc. On a monthly basis, data are downloaded from the Minnesota Department of Human Services for the previous month showing participants who have gone off TANF cash assistance. Northern Connections' program goals are:

1. Job retention for individuals with little work experience:
   • Help build work history
   • Help participants get and maintain jobs
2. Career advancement for individuals who have career aspirations:
   • Prepare them for different jobs
   • Support individuals who would like to obtain a GED/high school diploma
3. Asset accumulation in partnership with Family Assets for Independence in Minnesota:
   • Credit restoration
   • Provide financial literacy training
4. Employment/reemployment for individuals who are not employed or employed part-time and moving to full-time:
   • Help put together jobs
   • Interview preparation
   • Prepare and connect with job fairs
   • Access job leads (through www.MinnesotaWorks.org or other sources)

Funding: Northern Connections is a nonprofit organization with funding from various sources (State appropriations and grants from private foundations, including Northwest Area Foundation, Bush Foundation, Otto Bremer Foundation, West Central Initiative, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Minnesota Department of Human Services Innovation grant).

Staffing: Northern Connections emphasizes staff training and learning about resources and services staff can then pass on to clients. Because of the partnership with Connectinc, Northern Connections benefited by having staff trained at Connectinc. In addition, each Northern Connections staff member was assigned a Connectinc mentor.

Implementation

Tips to Implementation: By learning first hand from Connectinc, Northern Connections began program operations successfully. In addition, the lessons learned and successes of Connectinc have helped Northern Connections secure funding.

Keys to Success:

• Reliable software - Used software developed by Connectinc, which has reduced the need for Northern Connections to develop and test new software.
• Credibility - Part of West Central Initiative, which lends credibility to Northern Connections.
• Efficient - Counseling staff average 30 contacts a day.
• Proactive, intensive approach - Outbound calls proactively identify issues and solve problems, averaging 30-35 contacts per customer.
• Accessible - Operates 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.
• Coaches and models - Overcomes participant inertia or fears through use of its three-way calling technology. During the call, the contact is made rather than relying on follow-up action after the contact.
• Flexible - Approach can be modified for multiple types of services, thereby generating efficiencies in operations.

Tools

"There are no tools associated with this program."

Overview

Program/Practice Name:Project EARN, San Diego, a Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) Demonstration Site

Agency Name: South County Career Center, a division of the San Diego Workforce Partnership, Inc.

Contact Information:

Linda Weber Assistant Director South County Career Center 1111 Bay Boulevard, Suite E Chula Vista, CA 91911 Phone: (619) 628-0312 Fax: (619) 429-9524 lindaw@workforce.org

Jessica Mosier Program Specialist San Diego Workforce Partnership 3910 University Avenue, Suite 400 San Diego, CA 92105-1326 Phone: (619) 228-2900 Fax: (619) 528-1423 jessicam@workforce.org www.sandiegoatwork.com Jaye Yoshonis Assistant Deputy Director County of San Diego Health & Human Services Strategic Planning & Operational Support Phone: (619) 515-6538

Type of Program/Practice: A collaborative effort offering job retention strategies and advancement services to enable workers to make informed choices about employment and benefits.

Description

Program/Practice Description:Project EARN, San Diego was a partnership among the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), the South County Career Center, San Diego Workforce Partnership, and social policy research firm MDRC, and was designed to support low-wage workers in job retention and advancement. The demonstration program stemmed from the national study of the Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) model, which uses the Income Calculator. Project EARN consisted of two parts: enhancing job retention and career advancement services for low-wage workers and building on federal and State income security policies that seek to engage low-wage workers in work support programs, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Food Stamps, which can help increase the income of low-wage workers. Through technology and career coaching, the program not only provided access to these financial supports, but also helped low-wage workers advance in their current jobs.

The WASC demonstration project has concluded and the Project EARN, San Diego program has ended. To learn more about the findings of MDRC, visit: http://www.mdrc.org/publications/519/overview.html

Innovations and Results: The WASC program was established in one of San Diego's One-Stop Career Centers, which was created under the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 to help low-income workers find jobs. This agency tended to work in isolation from the closely related HHSA, which administers the TANF program and also works with clients to help them find employment. The WASC program represented one of the first programs to combine the efforts of the two distinct agencies, and co-located several HHSA staff on One-Stop property. MDRC research on the 2004 pilot indicated that both employers and human services staff responded positively to WASC efforts to identify advancement opportunities for clients. About 65 percent of clients showed advancement over three months.

Operations: The program recruited low-wage workers through numerous outreach media (mailings, advertisements, phone calls, and contact through colleges and universities), and then conducted a pre-screening to determine whether they meet the program criteria of being under 200 percent of the poverty level, are legal residents, and are working at least part-time. If a client met eligibility requirements, the client was assigned randomly to either a control group or treatment group. The latter group then received information and one-on-one counseling to determine their current situation and how they might advance within their jobs. After the initial meeting, which was scheduled immediately or at a later date, the case manager monitored test cases through follow-up calls, initiating about one contact per month, and completed tracking forms. WASC had a planned system of incentives to encourage clients to advance in their work; for example, if they participated in GED training, they could receive $20 grocery cards by demonstrating successful performance. In monitoring, case managers considered an increase of $0.50 per hour as advancement; the program tended to see evidence of these advances after six to nine months of participation, and most showed progress within a year.

Funding: The WASC program describes itself as very labor intensive and thus expensive. In fact, funding was the biggest challenge that the center faced when initiating the program. Although the initial plan was to write grants to support the center, with a large portion of monies intended to come from Department of Labor Title I and WIA funding, the plan fell through. When only $125,000 of an anticipated $500,000 was received, the One-Stop asked for a waiver to access discretionary funding, but was turned down. Thereafter, the program changed the enrollment process to co-enroll clients in WIA as well as Project EARN, so it was able to leverage WIA funding. However, this proved to be a difficult application process and ultimately it was the center's partnership with HHSA that led to necessary funding. The budget, which previously dedicated a large sum of money to child care, was redrawn to shift money to core programming, as not all clients had children.

Staffing: The program included one county clerk and five workforce coaches. The coaches handled a sizable caseload, so the program chose experienced case managers who have demonstrated high performance. Case managers must be flexible thinkers to handle the complexity of WASC supports and must make themselves available at irregular hours to ensure a connection with clients, who also are working individuals. Staff participated in introductory training on the software and study procedures prior to beginning the program.

Implementation

Tips to Implementation: San Diego's implementation of Project EARN depended largely on the successful coordination of the One-Stop Career Center and the Department of Health and Human Services. It required that staff be co-located, flexible, and well trained, and that they remained in constant communication. Additionally, the program succeeded because of dedicated individuals who were able to think creatively to overcome hurdles such as insufficient funding and challenges in conducting outreach.

Keys to Success: Project EARN, San Diego leveraged the WASC Income Calculator, which performed three functions:

• Quantifies changes in income that would result from increases in earnings through both wages and work supports.
• Identifies eligibility "cliffs" that may affect a client's receipt of work supports.
• Synthesizes a client's financial picture, taking into consideration changes in work supports, taxes, and work-related expenses.

Tools

<p>The following tools are associated with Project EARN, San Diego, a Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) Demonstration Site. Please send us an email at <a href="mailto:upitoolkit@blhtech.com" class="mailto">upitoolkit@blhtech.com<span class="mailto" aria-label="(link sends e-mail)"></span></a> for more information about these tools.</p> <p><strong>Pre-Screening Questions for Random Assignment </strong></p> <p><strong>WASC Baseline Information Form </strong></p> <p><strong>Project EARN Income Calculator </strong></p> <p><strong>ESL Incentives Flyer </strong></p> <p><strong>Project EARN Income Improvement and Advancement Plan </strong></p> <p><strong>Project EARN Meeting Outline </strong></p> <p><strong>Project Earn Participant Packet </strong></p> <p><strong>Coaching for Advancement: Information Gathering Questionnaires </strong></p> <p><strong>Overview of Project Earn </strong></p> <p>Strategies to Help Low-Wage Workers Advance: Implementation and Early Impacts of the Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) Demonstration: <a href="http://www.mdrc.org/publications/519/overview.html" style="line-height: 1.53em; font-size: 13px;" class="ext" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.mdrc.org/publications/519/overview.html<span class="ext" aria-label="(link is external)"></span></a></p> <p> </p>

Overview

Program/Practice Name: Riverside GAIN (Greater Avenues for Independence) Program

Agency Name: County of Riverside Department of Public Social Services (DPSS)

Contact Information:

Patti Polly Deputy Director, Self–Sufficiency Riverside County DPSS 4060 County Circle Drive Riverside, CA 92503 Phone: (951) 358–3011 Fax: (951) 358–3156 PPOLLY@riversidedpss.org http://dpss.co.riverside.ca.us

David L. Terrell Manager, CalWORKS Administration Riverside County DPSS 4060 County Circle Drive Riverside, CA 92503 Phone: (951) 358–5950 Fax: (951) 358–6615 DTERRELL@riversidedpss.org http://dpss.co.riverside.ca.us

Type of Program/Practice: A county implementation of a large–scale California welfare–to–work initiative that has demonstrated successful results in the area of work retention.

Description

Program/Practice Description: The Riverside GAIN program serves TANF program applicants. The GAIN program markets the benefits of work participation to customers, discusses the seriousness of the customers' responsibility to their families, and closely monitors the progress of customers through the various components. GAIN presents a full range of activities, such as job search preparation and assistance, life skills training, basic education, assessment, occupational skills training, post–secondary education, and on–the–job training. GAIN also provides child care assistance and ancillary items to participants during program activities.

Innovations and Results: The Riverside GAIN program demonstrates success in work retention studies, indicating that an increased number of customers take advantage of retention services and show increased employment and earnings in the two years following the program. Customers are presented with resources and empowered by the GAIN program's work–first philosophy. Then customers enter into a written action plan or contract in which they work with employment services counselors to undergo an appraisal, set personal goals, receive supportive services, participate in a job search, and complete an assessment. After obtaining work, customers are encouraged to maintain employment and seek career advancement through promotional and educational opportunities. Formal job retention services are provided when cash aid is terminated. Following the date of termination, customers who are employed are eligible for one year of supportive services such as transportation and two years of child care assistance.

Structured Decision Making (SDM) is a collaborative effort between GAIN, the County of Riverside Department of Mental Health and the Children's Research Center, which is a division of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. SDM for the GAIN customer population is being pioneered in Riverside County. No organization nationwide is known to use SDM to serve Welfare to Work customers. SDM assists Employment Service Counselors in case management, identifying customer strengths and needs, and establishing customer action plans rooted in sound decision making.

Staffing and Training:Riverside County DPSS staffing and training are specifically designed to contribute to the success of the GAIN program. The offices leverage co–located staff who focus on issues such as mental heath, substance abuse, and domestic violence. The department implements comprehensive training that is driven by assessment activities, during which Riverside conducts an environmental scan and surveys all levels of employees to identify training needs. As a result of successful management of both office operations and employees, Riverside County DPSS is able to better retain GAIN staff, positively affecting the quality and continuity of social service delivery.

Important Partnerships: Riverside GAIN's success with work retention also stems from effective partnering with employers, including the Riverside County Temporary Assistance Pool program, which permits GAIN customers to test into employment with the county. Also, the Community Action Partnership works with GAIN to mirror and support the job readiness and work attachment process, and the Economic Development Agency assists with employment development. GAIN also partners with community colleges and adult schools to provide further education and training once customers have obtained meaningful work.

Implementation

Tips to Implementation: As agencies organize to support customers in work activities, they should consider the degree to which they consistently support a message. In Riverside, customers continuously receive a message from staff and partners that emphasizes the benefits of work. Outside the message and mission, Riverside suggests that agencies remain flexible to the needs of their customers, as becoming too structured detracts from an agency's ability to serve and respect individuals. The agency also emphasizes a need to stay away from punitive communication, citing that customers respond best to flexible and positive support.

Keys to Success: The Riverside GAIN employment services team highlights several factors as keys to its success:

• Riverside has a clear mission and vision, which helps ensure that all staff work toward the same goals.
• Riverside develops its staff and selects like-minded individuals who truly believe in the potential for customer success.
• Riverside sets its goals and takes steps to ensure a shared mindset (buy-in) throughout the agency, resulting in improved customer service and performance reinforced by training.

Tools

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

DPSS 168 GAIN Program Handbook

Provides an overview of the Riverside GAIN Program.

GAIN Customer Service Survey

Demonstrates one way in which Riverside reaches for constant improvement in service delivery.

Employee Educational Support Program

Illustrates how Riverside County supports educational advancement, thus improving employee retention.

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