Meeting the Needs of Our New Customers

1. Meeting the Needs of Our New Customers Overcoming Barriers to Employment Partner for Success Fall 2011

2. The economic downturn beginning in 2008 placed additional pressures on our Employers, Job Seekers and Career Centers alike. Many of our customers have multiple barriers to overcome that still exist today. This presentation details some of the common issues we are seeing and how we are working together to help the job seeker achieve their goal of employment and ultimately, success.

3. Challenges to our job seeking customers today fall into these categories: • Age • Lack of Experience • Educational Barriers • Criminal History • Economic Disadvantaged and Homeless • Specific challenges Veterans face • Limited English skills • Disabilities • Long-term unemployment

4. The Older Worker • Often lack some of the employability skills for today’s workforce, such as familiarity with computers & technology • May expect or require a higher salary, commensurate with their experience

5. Serving the Older Worker: • Title V, Older Americans Act (Senior Community Service Employment Program) • Adult Education and other education centers provide resources to help improve basic educational skills and computer training • Workforce Investment and other workforce partners assist with training options and referrals to older worker programs • Resume writing and Job search workshops

6. The Recent Graduate • May have a more difficult time finding employment in today's economy due to lack of work history • Competing upon entry into the workforce with their more experienced counterparts for the same positions

7. Serving the Recent Graduate: • Apprenticeship program • Work with local colleges and Universities to refer the recent graduates to internships, co-ops, work-studies, and other opportunities • Encourage volunteerism in their field and community to build networks and gain experience (Industry Partnerships)

8. Individuals lacking credentials/ education • Lack of a High School Diploma or GED hinders opportunities • Statistics support those with a bachelor's degree earned more than twice as much as those without a high school diploma or its equivalent • Unemployment is lowest among individuals with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher

10. Serving those lacking credentials: • Referrals to KY Adult Education for GED. • Referrals to training partners for skill upgrade • Outreach to High School students addressing the importance of staying in school, furthering education and soft skills development • Promote career pathways and encourage education and skills development. • Accelerating Opportunity

11. Individuals with a Criminal History • Customers who have a criminal history face barrier to employment/ This includes misdemeanors and minor violations. Those with felony convictions have an even greater obstacle to overcome.

12. Serving those with a Criminal History: • Promote the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program as an incentive • Refer to Workforce Investment Re-entry Specialist and Job Counselors • Outreach to partners such as Goodwill Industries and Re-entry Councils that promote opportunities to ex-offenders

13. Economically Disadvantaged and Homeless • Common Barriers: -Transportation -Stable contact information (housing, phone, email) -Identification -Interview attire -Lack of child care

14. Serving the Homeless Population: • Work with local homeless shelters to provide job skills workshops to the residents • Knowing the resources in your area and working with consortiums and partners on grant opportunities to provide additional services • Referrals to other partner agencies to provide assistance such as Workforce Investment, Low Income Heating assistance Program, Department for Community Based Services, KY Housing, Community Action, KY prescription assistance program, Churches, Food Banks, etc

15. Recently Separated Veterans • Barriers to employment: - Transition to private sector jobs - Lack of jobs available - Mental or physical disabilities attributed to service

16. Serving the Recently Separated Veteran: • Maintaining Priority of Service • Train front line staff to know how to identify as recently separated veteran • Understanding the program and availability of services for the recently separated services and how to access the services • Referrals to appropriate agency • Provide self service access and training  for service (FOCUS CAREER) and job leads • Outreach to National Guard Units, Prison and Homeless shelters • Transition Assistance Program

17. The Long Term Unemployed • Those with an employment gap of greater than 8 weeks face additional challenges • Employers view long term unemployment as a negative factor when consideration for hiring • Depreciation of skills over time • Decreasing motivation/Increasing frustration

18. Serving the Long Term Unemployed: • Training during the gap • Workshops to enhance Job seeking skills (resume/interview/etc) • Be “cheerleaders” for our customers – always encouraging them and offering motivational support • Volunteers opportunities and networking to keep up contacts and skills • Job placement services and resources – help them find the work they need

19. Limited English Proficiency • Individuals who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English can be limited English proficient, or "LEP.” • These individuals face significant barriers to employment

20. Serving the LEP Customer: • Utilize a LEP contact list that identifies all translators and bilingual staff in our agency • Translation/Interpretation services available • Claim filing and UI pamphlets available in Spanish

21. Individuals with Disabilities or Visual Impairment These are some of the barriers that we commonly face serving this customer: • Lack of reliable transportation • No work experience or poor and sporadic work history • Onset of a disability while employed • Perceived inability to obtain a formal education i.e. GED or high school diploma • Employer’s Perception of the disability

22. Communication barriers:  Hearing impairment, speech impediment or other barrier such as Tourette’s Disorder • Hidden Disabilities:  Consumers coming into the Career Center may have hidden disabilities such as intellectual disabilities, mental illness, diabetes, MS in early stages • Barriers that come when employers are not trained & educated about the Americans With Disabilities Act and also when consumers do not know their rights

23. Serving Individuals who have Disabilities: • Work with customer to encourage partnering with other employees so that they may carpool if possible • Provide services such as biotic driving to individuals who qualify to help regain their independence in traveling to and from work • Orientation and Mobility training • Work assessments to see what barriers cause the employee to lose jobs. Work toward preventing future occurrence • When disability occurs while on the job: Skills assessment to look at current abilities • Provide assistive devices • Intensive job search activities • Educate employers on the services we provide and to try to alleviate fears or apprehensions employers may have in hiring employees that are disabled or visually impaired

24. Discussion • Is the way we are serving our job seekers effective? • Are there things we can do to enhance and integrate service delivery? • Let’s Talk!

25. Challenges Employers Face • Inexperienced Workforce • Under educated Workforce • Generational Differences: Generation X, Y, and Z the usage of technology and social media • Drug usage • Criminal History

26. Addressing the Issues Employers are Facing: • On- the-Job Training programs/ Apprentice-ships • Educational programs (Adult Ed/KCTC) • Generational differences training • Show customers the perils of drug usage during orientation classes and other media • Provide resources on expungement options and legal aid assistance • Provide up-to-date information about our programs to the employer (WOTC, etc)

27. Discussion • Is the way we are serving our employers effective? • Are there things we can do to enhance and integrate business service delivery? • Let’s Talk!