Instructions: Create an original post and describe the major groups of people with whom you work and the backgrounds from which they originate. Identify the key resources that you use with this group. Then respond to one classmate’s post. You will make a total of two posts.
Remember that our learning group works in a full value environment: We treat our colleagues with respect and professionalism. Our comments should reflect this culture.
At Employ Prince George’s, we have 5 different demographic programs in which we serve individuals of varying backgrounds: justice involved individuals, veterans, older individuals, immigrant, and refugee populations, and those affected by the pandemic. Although each demographic program is catered to individuals with specific cultural barriers, everyone who steps through our doors has different needs and no one person is the same. Through an objective assessment, staff can discuss with the individuals what barriers they may have that hinder them from gainful employment, possibly allowing them to be served under more than one demographic program. The objective assessment also prompts discussion on other lifestyle difficulties that may play a factor in self-sufficiency, such as childcare or lack of transportation. Resources available for these demographic programs range from financial assistance for training or needs based matters, counseling, military to civilian transition assistance, federal bonding and expungement assistance, bi-lingual hiring events, ESL remediation, language transition lines, computer literacy and adult basic education. Any resource we do not have available at Employ Prince George’s, we take advantage of the great relationships we have with outside agencies to refer individuals to receive further services.
Seems like you offer a lot of great services! Do you have an age requirement to benefit from your services or specific eligibility for those looking for financial assistance? Also, do you find that your clients utilize the expungement assistance or no? We offer similar services in our program as well as our adult program, but I don’t find our clients to be interested or to take advantage. Thanks!
I think it is awesome that you all assist with maternity care assistance – we too work with pregnant and parenting teens but that is something we haven’t tapped into!
I like the fact that your office is using the objective assessment to get more information about each customer. It is always useful to understand the barriers that people are dealing with while trying to find employment. It can also assist in providing the right services for each customer, whether financial assistance or childcare services.
At the OSY Program in Bucks County, PA, our main group that we serve are Out-of-School Youth (OSY) between the ages of 16 and 24. These individuals must be a high school dropout or high school graduate to be eligible for the program. In terms of backgrounds, our groups vary. We work with low income, pregnant/parenting, basic skills deficient, on probation, unemployed, county assistance benefits (SNAP, TANF), and homeless or in foster care students. Inhouse, we offer free GED classes and cover the costs for the actual tests, we provide training opportunities that are funded through the program with additional incentives, transportation services, and life skills. We also work with a plethora of agencies throughout the county for maternity care assistance, childcare, housing resources, drivers’ education, additional post-secondary opportunities, and the county itself for supportive services.
Hi, I absolutely love that your agency works with pregnant/parenting population! At my previous employer I often worked with this population. While setting family or individual goals with them we often focused on career pathways and training. At the time I was not familiar with Workforce Development. Now that I am, I see a connection and the importance as many of my pregnant parents were looking to get back into the workforce or completing school etc. to get A job or a Better job to support their child or family. So important especially with the lack of childcare in my area.
I love this. This program sounds so great and as someone who worked with our At-Promise Youth population for over 13 years, I love programs that are geared toward identifying strengths and barriers and helping our youth overcome without dwelling on whatever missteps they feel they have taken in there lives. Wonderful!
Amanda, I think that is great your programs help with HS dropouts! I strongly believe we all deserve a second chance in life. I think its great that your program gets them the help to completed their GED and be more successful. I also love the pregnant help you have, this is also a barrier that some customers need to overcome to be more successful in life. 🙂
I think this is a great program because it is focused on youth individuals who may need additional support to achieve their goals. I love that your program offers FREE GED classes; it is really important youth individuals have the motivation and support to continue and finish their education. It is great you also provide the assistance and resources to pregnant individuals as many of them may not know the resources available to them. I am sure with your program, they can receive the assistance they need to accomplish their career goals.
I enjoy the Youth Population and their Career Development. I find that many Young Parents find a great courage to seek career growth and find ways to overcome many of the barriers that come along with been a Young Parent. I think that is is amazing to see your county provide maternity care assistance as this is one of the greatest and most expensive barriers parents have and is the biggest set back until they children becomes School age. I also think having the driver’s education is an amazing services.
At the Upper Shore offices, the major groups of individuals that visit our center are the elderly, justice involved, disabled, veterans, low income and persons who are English language learner. Through our local offices and partnering programs we offer 6 different demographic programs: SCSEP program assist our elderly/ 55 and over help train individuals in a new employment opportunity or industry, Federal Bonding assist with the justice involved by providing a bonding letter to employers this acts as a safety net should they hire jobseekers who have certain risk factors in their personal background, DORS assist individuals with disabilities whether seen or unseen, Veteran services provides veterans, spouse of veterans and caretakers with job search support if they have significant barriers to employment , Dept. of Social Services (DSS) assist individuals with food, utilities and housing, and GED & ESL help those individuals with language barriers . Although every individual that we assist circumstances are different. These resources are tailored to support all populations regardless of their cultural barriers.
Demographically, I see many similarities in the Upper Shore and Western Maryland regions. The services you mention above are widely used here as well!
The services that are provided in Prince George’s is very similar to what we do in the Upper Shore offices. I totally agree that applying the objective assessment is a great tool that is helpful with identifying if needed other demographic programs to assist with cultural barriers.
At my location the populations that we typically serve under the programs that we offer are low-income either unemployed or under employed individuals looking for a job, a better job or career, and/or training. Their backgrounds vary from being part of the adult or elderly population, veterans, refugee’s, dislocated workers, justice involved and homeless for the most part. As mentioned, resources and career paths are based on the individual as an assessment of their needs is determined through intake and an OAS. Resources are determined once barriers are identified. Although we are Workforce, we have a wide variety of resources that we offer to our participants ranging from career services to financial assistance under supportive services for things like issues with their transportation, to bus passes. We assist with tuition and paying for books, and even childcare. Interview clothing and uniforms such as scrubs, even tools are another common item that we assist with. Through partnerships and relationships that we have created within our community we can connect participants to additional resources in the community we have available such as classes for GED assistance, Digital/Computer Literacy, and ESL. Housing is another big one that we commonly come across that we connect participants to. Currently, we are working with trying to partner with the food bank to have food baskets available on site to offer when needed. Resources seem to be something that we always need and can continue to offer with community collaboration. Our center pride’s themselves on having a wide range of resources available and partnerships that we can collaboratively enroll clients into additional programs for them to gain additional services or have access to services that we cannot provide at our location.
I really like the idea of an onsite food pantry-we have a partnership with our local area food bank – where we place paid work experience participants, but we don’t have an onsite pantry with us . Addressing that initial hierarchy of needs is so important and one that is so often taken for granted. At a previous organization I worked with we also had a clothing closet with basic toiletry items that were donated by the community, as well as professional clothing pieces that could be borrowed or gifted to a customer if they needed something for an impending job interview. Sometimes it take a bit of time to process support service paperwork, so its be nice to cut down on the wait time and have the autonomy to help as the need is presented. In real time.
I agree with Hedi that the onsite food banks seem very resourceful. Has your organization considered having a traveling food bank as well for the customers who are unable to travel to your location? It may be a helpful resource to your community.
So we don’t get this issue too often but we do have customer with housing issues and unfortunately we don’t have very good resources for it. It also doesn’t help that Howard County is one of the more expensive counties in Maryland. I love that you are partnering with the food bank! What an amazing thing to do! I would actually love to know more about how you work to address issues with customers who come in who need housing? I remember making about almost 50 calls in one day to help someone to no avail. It was very frustrating so I’m happy to hear your AJC is more in tune with that population.
Hello, I really like the idea of partnering with foodbanks so that they can have food baskets available. Our local food bank holds monthly/Holiday food distributions here in here in SB County, there has been a rise in homelessness/unemployed so I think its amazing they are able to do that for the community.
This related to some of the things we do at Paxen, We also provide services for low income or unemployed individuals. One thing that I like is that you all Also offer career services, and assist with tuition for paying for books. That will be a great alternative for those who would like to expand their career choice.
In our Workforce Development Area we serve a variety of Customers: Adults make up the majority of participants in the following categories: Trade Affected Workers, Dislocated Workers, Veterans, Re-entry, and Self Sufficiency Customers. For our Young Adults we have a number who are lacking their high school diploma or equivalency as well as a number of young adults with physical or intellectual disabilities. The vast majority if our Customers come to us seeking a way out of under employment through training, or employment as a result of some other life circumstance.
We offer educational resources that range from short term(a few weeks) to longer term (several months), to include GED and Adult Education/Literacy classes should they be found necessary. We offer some courses in house, but also partner with local organizations to ensure Customers have a variety of choices available to them. When Customers are found to be eligible we are able to assist with financial support services that reduce the financial barriers keeping them from that stable employment opportunity. This may be in the form of clothing, car repairs or transportation assistance, depending on the need. With our Veteran Customers we have representatives who are Veteran’s themselves to help them navigate our programs and find resources that are available to their population. With our young adults with disabilities we work with Vocational Rehabilitation Services as well as our in house Disability Navigators to ensure they have multiple resources available with the specialized knowledge of their barriers and abilities. Upon entering one of our centers a Customer works with a triage specialist that assesses their initial needs and make the first referrals that assist them in reducing their barriers to permanent employment.
Instructions:
1. Create an original post and describe the major groups of people with whom you work and the backgrounds from which they originate. Identify the key resources that you use with this group.
2. Then respond to one classmate’s post.
You will make a total of two posts. But feel free to respond to as many as you like!
The major groups of people with whom I work consist of a great diversity of people, which include different races, older persons (55+), veterans, refugees, and re-entry persons. The backgrounds from which they originate are technical skilled, professional, labor, and service workers.
The key resources that I use with my group of customers is a PowerPoint presentation, that includes partners such as the SCSEP – Senior Community Service Employment Program for 55+, JobCorp for those who are 16 – 24, DORS Division of Rehabilitation Services for disabled, and Returning Citizen Job Seeker Services for those who were formerly incarcerated to name a few. I also stress the American Job Center where customers can visit the location and get assistance from Career Specialists with resume critiques, mock interviews, and career guidance.
At our agency, we have at least five different demographic programs that serve specific groups of people. To name a couple, our reentry program caters to the returning citizens, while our Career Pathways for All caters to our English Language learners and refugees. Some of the resources that we to these specific groups to better serve them is our reentry job club for our returning citizens. The job club allows the returning citizens to support them in getting familiar with how to complete an application, elevator speeches, how to look for a job, assisting them with what to expect in a job interview and how to answer difficult questions in regard to their background. Our English language learners who’ve participated in our programs have had opportunities to work with some of our training providers who offer teaching in second language, however, they also have an opportunity to work with our partner’s outside of our organization to take free English 101 classes. Our organization also assists with quarterly job fairs that allow them to a chance to meet directly with an employer and vet them for possible and future job opportunities.
At the American Job Center in Largo we serve the mostly unemployed or underemployed populations that consist of justice involved individuals, dislocated workers, veterans, youth, the older workers, low-income individuals. The American Job Center is open to the public so people from all walks of life come through looking for services. What I love about the American Job center is that we have partnerships with multiple organizations in the community to better serve our different demographics and ensure that they are receiving all benefits that they will need to support their road back to work. Partners like DORS (Division of Rehabilitation Services) help us serve our individuals with disabilities, POAC (Professional Outplacement Assistance Center) that assist individuals that have a more professional background, Veterans Services that gives that extra needed assistance to our local heroes, our Reentry team that caters to our individuals that have background issues and our local partners that run grant programs like WIOA to give our clients a chance to go to school. The workers and partners of the AJC provide the clientele resources like individual sessions and group workshops to ensure resumes are on point and they are organized and active in their job search and utilizing all resources at their disposal to ensure success.
I also like the fact that we are able to collaborate with other organizations in the community as well. I’m glad you mentioned the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) as I omitted them in my initial post. We definitely assist people with disabilities to become employed and or re-employed. In some cases, we assist them because their disability does not meet certain requirements for DORS. The wraparound services at the center are the best!
At the Washington County American Job Center in Hagerstown, Md we serve the unemployed who access services through unemployment programs and those seeking assistance through the use of our resource center. The main sub groups of the population I serve are older workers, justice involved, older youth, veterans, low income, and those with substance abuse disorder. Our center offers many entry level workshops to educate job seekers on the basics of resume writing, interviewing, internet job searching and more. We refer to our partner WIOA agency, the Western Maryland Consortium who distributes grant funding for available trainings and OJT and offers GED services, career advisement, and other services. DVOPS and other veteran staff are available for triage when a Veteran is identified to have an SBE. The SCSEP program provides part time OTJ opportunities for older workers aged 55 and up and disabled individuals are referred to DORS. Our center has a re-entry navigator on staff that works with the 4 major state prisons in our community and also with the justice involved individuals who have rejoined the community. Individuals struggling with drug addiction, homelessness, or lack of food resources are referred to Community Action Council, DSS, REACH homeless center, CASA, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Potomac Center, area food banks, and churches.
It sounds like you all have a great list of partner organizations that you can refer clients to based on their individual needs and identities. I think it is so important to have a combination of public and non-profit referral list, as well as specialty organizations that can cater to specific populations and especially for individuals who are learning English.
At the Anne Arundel County Career Center, we assist a variety of customers in conjunction with our collocated partners. They include regular jobseekers, unemployment insurance (UI) claimants, veterans, military spouses that meet certain requirements, out-of-school youth, seniors, and “returning citizens” (previously incarcerated individuals).
The key resources I use are job readiness workshops, career assessments, and one-on-one meetings with the customers to develop individual reemployment plans. I also facilitate Reemployment, Resume Writing, and Interviewing Skills workshops. These are all very essential components necessary for many of the customers I assist to return to the workforce faster.
Career assessments, such as My Next Move & mySkills myFuture, the Maryland Workforce Exchange (MWE), and O*Net Online, are websites I use to assist customers with making career decisions. These tools help them narrow down what they like to do, define their transferable skills, and help them to determine what career direction they’d like to go in.
Although I have worked with all the groups I mentioned, the major group I work with are unemployment insurance claimants that are seeking to enhance their current job skills, return to work, and stop receiving UI benefits.
Here in our AJCC in Santa Maria we serve a few different types of customers: Adults who would like to change in careers and or aswell to upgrade their knowledge. Dislocated Workers who have been affected by a lay off or closure of facility and or due to Covid. We also help the population in our resource room who are here looking for a job and also help with resume writing. I feel like our resource room is a great tool for job seekers to return to work quickly!
As a Case Manager: I see the majority of our population here is mostly those customers who want to upgrade their knowledge. The two big ones I see here are medical field and truck drivers. I think it’s great, since those are two targeted industries as well as fast growing. Using our Caljobs objective assessment and My next move online assessment I strongly agree that this helps with matching them to the desired career.
Prince George’s County Workforce Development Board area currently contracts out three WIOA youth providers, all three community organizations to serve the youth population of the county. Although they have the same funding source, all three organizations are able to cater to specific needs that youth may have. This includes individuals looking to earn their GED, individuals who have none or limited work experience but have a HS Diploma, individuals who are interested in occupational skills training, individuals who are Spanish speakers and much more. They are also spread out in the county to make services accessible to all individuals despite a lack of transportation. All three organizations have a strong referral list to community organizations, state offices, as well an lists of employer partners for work experiences and job referrals.
Additionally, when individuals are unable to be assisted through WIOA youth, or they have received services through their youth program and may require additional services like occupational skills training or apprenticeships, they can be referred to adult services through Employ Prince George’s, the county’s adult and dislocated worker provider. There, individuals can receive services by 14 different programs, some based on demographics – like veteran, returning citizen, older worker, and immigrant, or through a program focused on a specific in-demand industry. Objective assessments, conducted by an intake team, are used to determine which program would best suit the individual’s needs, and many are co-enrolled to receive services and funding from multiple programs.
Providing services to individuals in rural areas is always benefical to underserved communities, so that’s great. I also find it valuable to take advantage of co-enrollments for providing multiple avenues for support.
At the American Job Center in the Susquehanna region, we serve the unemployed or underemployed populations that consist of justice involved individuals, dislocated workers, veterans, youth, older workers, and low-income individuals. We utilize resources and programs such as the SCSEP program which assist 55 and over to help train individuals in a new employment opportunity or industry, federal bonding to assist with the justice involved by providing a bonding to employers should they hire jobseekers who have certain risk factors in their personal background, DORS assist individuals with disabilities, and Veteran services provides veterans, spouse of veterans and caretakers with job search support if they have significant barriers to employment. Staff have created strong partnerships with local social programs to assist job seekers with assistance in areas such as nutrition, health insurance, electric/gas bills, access to transportation, and much more. We take a holistic approach when assisting customers to make sure we are taking care of the whole needs of the customer.
Hello Jaime, I like how you described the holistic approach with the group of people you and your team serve and how you identified the programs you use as a tool and resource for the for the group you are serving.
As a member of the Workforce Solutions Coastal Bend team, mainly focusing on staff professional development, my exposure to opportunities of inclusion includes training groups, as well as one-on-one goal setting.
The population of our staff consists of various ages and generations who are primarily Caucasian and Hispanic. Among the team, they are predominantly female who have an education ranging from the completion of a GED to individuals who have obtained their master’s degree.
In order to accommodate these demographics, I have found value in team building exercises, utilizing pre- and post-test assessments prior to training to determine learning styles, while accessing varied training mediums. Additionally, I’ve had an occasion to refer staff to a contracted language interpreter. Most recently, it was discovered that one of my training participants was experiencing severe trauma and it became necessary to encourage her to contact our Employee Assistance Program for counseling.
I really like that you work with individuals on their level and I like that you use assessments even with staff to determine learning styles and find the best way to serve each of them.
Here at the Howard County Columbia Workforce Center, we mainly service the general Unemployed Job Seeker and those Unemployed Job Seekers receiving Unemployment Benefits. Within those groups, we cater to many different backgrounds such as Veterans, Youth, those with disabilities, Re-entry, New American, Underemployed, Older Workers and those youth coming out of college. That is just to name a few. It is a very diverse area so everyday is different and we are lucky to have the partnerships with many programs to try to assist all of them. We are also lucky that we have the Howard County Government programs located inside our offices which offers the most popular and most widely used program, WIOA. Through this program, all our customers who apply and are eligible can receive additional training on so many different trades and careers and receive certifications that can be truly life changing for them. One key trait to have working at our facility is patience and understanding as every customer is just different but we are lucky enough to have the resources to assist them if one truly understands and utilizes the tools given to do their job.
Sandra – you and I have similar groups. I work out of Frederick County Workforce Services. I agree that we must have patience and understanding when working with our customers. I try to remember that each customer is an individual with specific needs and we can truly make a difference in there journey back to employment.
I am not in our public lab area as much now. My primary role is facilitating RESEA Workshops in which the general audience are unemployed individuals, and this time of year (between Oct and April) I have a lot of “Seasonal” Workers who are receiving unemployment benefits. I may have a Veteran who is receiving Unemployment benefits, this is rare. For Veterans, once the Workshop is complete I contact them to conduct a survey to determine any Significant Barriers to Employment and if they have barriers they can receive case management from a Veteran Program Staff member. In the RESEA Workshops there are all different populations who attend. For individuals that are spanish speaking, I connect them with a co-worker who is fluent in spanish and he is able to deliver the necessary services.
I do find that when working with individuals from diverse backgrounds, it is best to work one-to-one with that person. I would have the individual(s) complete a skills assessment, review the results and find out where their other needs may be and how to be address those needs and determine if an agency referral would serve them best. They may need more training or education and I would refer them to WIOA.
Andrea, I am right there with you in regards to the RESEA training and I am not primarily in the front end of the center. However, from the class, I do have some Veterans that I counsel trying to enlighten them about case management. The Veterans have a reluctance at times to being case managed, so I provide clarity to them that the DVOP’s have extended resources and better connections with employers as well as better resources to help removing barriers. than what the center may have to offer.
We serve a rural area that is not very diverse culturally speaking so I don’t work with very many people from different cultures. I do, however, receive a bulk of my referrals from parole and probation so work regularly with the justice involved and returning citizens. I have personal experience with incarceration so feel I can relate to this demographic well. I have multiple employers who have had success hiring individuals who have just been released from prison so am able to place a lot of these clients. That being said, I have had to work hard to relate to and find placement opportunities for women who are transitioning from incarceration. Interestingly enough, though this should be the group I identify most closely with, I realized early on in working with this population that I had some barriers in my thought processes and found it hard to help women find success in career pathways that didn’t align with those that are most felon friendly, i.e., construction. Over time, I have learned to meet each person where they are and not set up additional barriers for clients based on my own bias.
Another barriered group that I’ve worked with quite a bit is older workers, particularly displaced homemakers who are entering the workplace for the first time or for the first time in many years. Again, I had to learn to meet each person where they were when they entered my office and tried to put myself in their shoes. I really have learned a lot about my own internal biases (when I thought I didn’t have any at all) and the importance of putting away pre-conceived notions in order to fully attend and listen to each client to help them set and reach their goals.
Hi Stephanie. I love how you said, “meet each person where they are…….” That statement is so powerful! Every client we work with is unique in their own way and no one fits in a cookie cutter program service. Your ability to see each client for who they are and meet them there is what makes you a true hero in our profession:-)
We serve youth and adult workers, veterans, students, dislocated workers, including military service members, people with disabilities, employees, employers, and more. We have online tools designed to assist job seekers in search for the right job, and help employers who are looking for the best job candidate(s). Our online tools and onsite services offer a mix of career exploration, employer information, education, and labor market research information too. Our resources help to make informed decisions on career options, training options, wages, and more. Our key resources are online tools and onsite partnerships to support with job selection and the recruitment process for every individual and employer alike within Santa Barbara County region.
Great work Liz, I have personally seen first hand what you do here in the workforce and feel fortunate to be able to work with you. Wonderful support specified in your posting and I feel the tools are very useful for all participants that walk in or are appointed to our office.
At our Job Center we serve many different groups of people from various cultures and backgrounds. We may assist a Master Degree Engineer, a single mom, a homeless Veteran, or a family of refugees. The common thread that we see in most of our clients are barriers to housing, healthcare & mental health services, and earning a livable wage in our county. It has been reported that in order for a minimum wage worker to live in a 2-bedroom home or apartment he/she must work 100 hours a week or 2.5 jobs. Due to the cost of living many of the clients we serve experience homelessness. We work with various agencies and organizations that try to assist but many times the need is too great, meaning more people than housing. At the very least we offer a safe, friendly, clean, and quiet space to job search…..or charge your phone😊 When we can connect someone to a job it can change the course of their life.
Sometimes the kind offer for a quiet safe space and a phone is what gets them through the day. We are one of the last public offices that allow direct entry into our facilities in our home county I believe.
We experience much of the same. Our cost of living is high too. I diligently look for resources to help our clients with transportation issues and even places for them to shower. Many of our libraries and AJC’s serve as a place to stay warm during the day for this population. Fortunately we have commutterconnection.org for the Maryland/DC region and one of the counties we cover, Charles, is offering free public transportation for the next several months through VanGo. We also have a local organization that has been able to obtain a grant to offer rides for those who need assistance getting to and from work for a time.
At the Allegany County One Stop we are a rural area but we serve various cultural and economic backgrounds. The demographics for age are from 15 and beyond. We offer youth WIOA services to the senior employment program. One of the key resources we use with any group in our center is experience. We learn from talking and communication to all workers in our one stop and use that information and lessons learned when needed.
American Job Center of California in Santa Barbara Ca. we help the following groups:
Veterans, dislocated workers, individuals with disabilities, criminal backgrounds, transients and underemployed adults and youth. Our resource center is open to the public and accumulates a diverse population. Staff are trained to build rapport and identify the needs of clients. After identifying these needs customers can be directed to the appropriate department. Under the WIOA program, which is the department I work for, we focus on providing training referrals, career counseling, job listings, and similar employment-related services with the requirement of being over the age of 18. If our office staff feels there is a greater need for shelter, food, and accommodations, we also have additional resources and referral partnerships. Lastly, the American Job Center of California provides additional services which are designed to help businesses find qualified workers, help job seekers obtain employment, and training services to enhance their careers. It is our communities one stop shop for employment needs.
I totally agree with what you are saying about how we are designed to help businesses find qualified workers, help job seekers obtain employment, and training services to enhance their careers.
In the American Job Center of California in Santa Barbara CA we serve youth and adult workers, veterans, students, dislocated workers, including military service members, people with disabilities, employees, employers, and more. In the resource room we have open to everyone has different resources for everyone that comes though the door every single day. Under the WIOA program we help people with job listings, trainings, and career counseling. We serve the people that are on unemployment or people that are still working and want to change careers. It is really interesting seeing all the different people coming in and out of the center.
At our Job Center in Baltimore County in Maryland our primary groups are those that are unemployed, low income, displaced, and those individuals trying to excel to a more lucrative career or job opportunity via trainings, apprenticeships, and workshops. We service the Veterans, dislocated workers, reentry customers, youth, and adult workers. Our resource center offers Trade adjustment assistance, and a case manager for our Native American clients. We are partnered with Job Corps, DORS for our disabled customers. and the Community Assistant Network (CAN), Department of Human Services (DHS), Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). The WIOA program is available for clients who meet the criteria for training opportunities. For those that have interest in entrepreneurship we guide them to the Small Business Resource Center (Chambers of Commerce) in Baltimore County.
Darnell, we are definitely on the same page with all of the similar services offered. I think it is great that you also have a case manager for the Native American population, I never considered their population as one that may have a need for special case managment. I think that is awesome!
We are open to the public but most of our focus is on clients who are receiving unemployment benefits. Most of our referrals are referred from Maryland Unemployment Insurance but we also have walk-in clients. It is my understanding that we are not permitted to “advertise” our services.
Unemployed – ROW and RESEA reemployment orientations; assisting clients who are trying to get in touch with unemployment to resolve claims and payment issues; reemployment related workshops in-house and virtually; individualized sessions to work with clients toward their reemployment goals. We provide referrals to other agencies and partners when appropriate.
Justice Involved – We provide the contact for our reentry coordinator but work in conjunction with him to provide individualized services and offer the other reemployment services through our center. We provide referrals to other agencies and partners when appropriate.
Clients with Disabilities (Dyslexia, Autism, Seizure Disorders, Narcolepsy, ADHD, functional illiteracy)- We provide the reemployment services listed above but can work more closely with the clients to find appropriate accommodations that we can provide. As always, we provide referrals to other agencies and partners when appropriate.
Older Workers- In addition to the previously mentioned reemployment services, we have one workshop dedicated to overcoming ageism when seeking work and a program that is appropriate for low-income seniors that need computer training to become more viable candidates in today’s labor market (Senior Community Services Employment Program.)
Workers from the generations Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z.- We have a basic understanding of traits of each generation and try to individualize our approach to the clients based on their needs, desires and motivations. Our workshops have elements that are meant to be meaningful and attractive to each of the generations.
Workers transitioning into new industries- In addition to the previously mentioned services we help the clients, usually through individual sessions, identify their transferable skills and teach them how to clearly state them in an updated résumé. Although we do not write the résumé for clients we guide them through the process based on CPRW training.
Unemployed workers from the Federal Government and Federal Government Contractor industry- In addition to the previously mentioned services we provide information about the various federal government contractors in the region, provide 4 workshops offered through the state to understand how to develop a federal résumé. With each client with specific interests we try to email appropriate job postings and job fair information.
US Military Veterans- We provide our veterans priority of service, trying to put them first out of appreciation for their service. We provide the full range of services needed. We also have a veterans portal for any veteran specific questions outside of our realm of expertise as workforce development staff. If we identify a veteran with significant barriers to employment we can offer the opportunity to work with a specialist for more intensive reemployment services.
Clients with little or no computer skills (They may or may not have a computer available at home and may or may not have internet access and may or may not understand how to use their smartphones.) We provide individualized attention to resolve customer needs and teach them how to use the technology as needed. We also provide resources from our local library about computer basics. Soon we will be offering a workshop about safe job seeking on the internet.
Clients from other parts of the US and the world like the Virgin Islands, Philippines, India, Africa, Europe (France), Japan, China, Russia and more.- We have a large portion of our population that moves with the military since we have several bases and Department of Defense contractors are some of the highest paying employers within our region. We provide all the previously mentioned services but have an interpretation service available. We have a facilitator that works specifically with the Spanish speaking population. Most clients are able to communicate with some level of English and we provide direct services to as many as possible. We make referrals as needed for additional services.
Clients with diverse religious beliefs- Of course we don’t ask about our clients’ beliefs but some volunteer their information. We do not discuss our personal beliefs directly with clients or during workshops and focus on their reemployment needs.
Clients with diverse political beliefs- Of course we don’t ask about our clients’ beliefs but some volunteer their information. We do not discuss our personal beliefs directly with clients or during workshops and focus on their reemployment needs.
Clients with highly skilled and technical backgrounds like engineers and software programmers- We additionally offer services through our Professional Outplacement Assistance Center (POAC). Again we offer all the other services mentioned too.
Clients from the construction industry- This population tends to work seasonally and has a higher percentage of clients who are functionally illiterate and have been justice involved. We offer the aforementioned services but also provide resources to find work in the off-season. They are typically accustomed to higher wages and we do our best to provide temporary openings that suit their financial expectations.
Hi Tegan! As we do work in the same field of service, I can see that everything that you have spoken about is also the same issue and the same things that I deal with here at our center. We do see a lot of the older clients with a little or no computer skills as you mentioned, but we don’t have clients from many parts of the US other than here local. of course I see a lot of unemployed workers as you have as we are both doing the reemployment workshops.
I work with individuals that are receiving Unemployment Benefits with varying backgrounds. I present a Reemployment workshop to the whole group weekly. During this time, I share resources that are available to them throughout their reemployment journey. Such as our local American Job Center, State Partners/Agencies, and community resources. Following the presentation, I meet with each participant individually. During this meeting, I learn about their employment history, strengths, possible barriers, and goals. Then, I recommend specific workshops, programs and resources that would be benefit them specifically and we craft a reemployment plan for them. For the Professionals in the group, I recommend POAC (Professional Outplacement Assistance Center). If an individual is thinking of changing careers, I direct them to the free assessments located in the Maryland Workforce Exchange, to work with our county partners and possible attain WIOA funding for training. Veterans with Significant Barriers to Reemployment are referred to our DVOP. Depending on their needs for resume help, job search, interview practice – I direct them to workshops, online learning opportunities such as SkillUp, and the Big Interview.
Hello crystal.lagoda, your post was very well worded. Your steps you take to facilitate an action plan to the clients. I really like how you share resources that are available to them during their WIOA journey. And how you partake in assesments individually. That’s ideal to really taylor their individual barriers.
at the AJCC i work with the two distinct demographics the most. One being people who are elderly and people who are English language learners. Most of the English language learners are foreign born. They migrated to the united states and became citizens in their later years. the elderly Population I serve tend to get discouraged to re-enter the workforce. I engage in conversation and reinforce their with positive information and facts. Also Some of our elderly clients get very stressed due to high price of living. Those elderly individuals who get stressed and due to lack of income feel anxious to get a job. I informed the clients once they become enrolled into the wioa program, the goal to obtain a job is not a 1 or 2 day process. It’s a long process. Also if the cost of living is affecting them severely I referred them out to The local Housing Authority to look at listings for elderly senior living apartments. Also for the ESL job seekers. I encourage them to seek English language training at the community college. I informed them the importance of ases their current English skills by taking an asesment at the community college. For both of these tow major groups i coordinate with the EDD and other organizations to conduct work shops , resume building , job readiness, ect.
Our biggest population we serve in the AJCC in North Santa Barbara County is Agriculture population and clients that English is their second language who mainly want to receive EDD services. Even though the majority of the staff in our center speaks Spanish, it is sometimes hard to communicate with them because Spanish is not their first language as well, but dialect.
Also, in our area since most of our population has only worked in Agriculture, they do not have any other work experience and they don’t have the energy/courage to go back to school or switch careers. We encourage individuals that are English learners to take ESL and GED classes. We refer and provide them with information about classes at the community college along with the resources available in the center such as flyers with information regarding different programs and resources, referrals to different community-based organizations. We also provide clients with the center’s calendar, so they know what activities/events can attend and are available for them
At the AJCC in North Santa Barbara County the major population we serve is English Learners, mainly individuals that work in the agricultural industry that are unemployed or underemployed/receiving unemployment benefits or have exhausted their benefits. For the individuals that are looking for employment we offer paid work experience, for individuals looking to continue their education, we offer tuition assistance at a school that is approved under our program to obtain a license/certification. This is great for them because most of the time that is the only experience they know so this gives them a chance to gain experience in a different type of industry that they may be interested in and acquire new skills. Before they are placed we do a intake assessment and determine what their barriers are and where we can help before moving forward. Depending on the case, we provide them with any and all information we have here at the resource center that may be beneficial for them. For the most part we will refer them to our local community college to take ESL classes as well as a local program so that they can obtain their GED. We offer supportive services (ex. rental assistance, childcare, transportation assistance, etc.) to help them throughout this process as well as providing them with info on our monthly work shops that are held at the AJCC that is open to everyone in the community.
At AJCC San Luis Obispo we serve a variety of people from various groups and backgrounds. We work with a limited English population, single parent households, veterans, 65+ Adults, LBTQ+, generational welfare families, Unshelter population, substance abuse, Re-entry population. During the time we have developed partnerships with other agencies to help promote WIOA services for anyone in need of a Career Services with the return of having great Partnerships partners to help our Participants connect with the local agencies to meet their basic needs such as Housing, childcare and food assistance.
One of the growing populations coming into our centers is the 65+ Population. We value their experience and understand their need to find suitable and self-sufficient employment. Many of the 65+ Populations are seeking employment that has meaning and has purpose. We have built a connection with our Local community college to help 65+ Population to have access to Computer Literacy Courses and other services. I like to provide current job openings to non-profit organizations like ours to help create the possibility of having a meaningful job. We are also now connecting to Elderly Agency in our area that can provide Work Experience to our 65+ Population.
At Paxen/ Eckerd Connects we serve individuals and clients who are classified as a “Dislocated Worker”. In order to be classified as a dislocated worker, the individual will have to be displaced from a job for six months or longer. In order to prove this we use information provided by the participant to pull a wag inquiry. They can be displaced from the workforce because of the pandemic, divorce, job closure, permanent job closures, military, homelessness, or permanent business closure. In order for this to be proven, the client must provide documentation such as legal documents or divorce paper work, news paper article or separation notice from previous employer, DD214 document for veterans in the military who have been honorably discharged, separation notice as well as lease agreements for those who could not afford rent, such as an eviction letter, or letter from landlord for homelessness, and for permanent business owner closure a news paper article will be the documentation needed. When the client provide one of the documents they can be a candidate in our program, and our job is to put them back into the workforce. Our program pays for the participant to work in a non profit organization for up to one year to get back on their feet. Since the pandemic, a lot of people were unable to get back into the workforce and found it hard to keep a steady income. A lot of participants lost their jobs because of the temporary closings businesses, restaurants, and organizations had to face due to the world being shut down. We not only pay them, but we also provide supportive services to those who have children or those who need to travel to a job site outside of their city. The region that our program cover is the southern part of Georgia, and we only cover those areas.Our offices are in Valdosta, GA but we place individuals in any part of the southern areas of Georgia. With the pandemic going on, there were a lot of people who could easily provide information and we have enrolled a lot of individuals in our program.
In my American job center we have a small diversity of clients. First of all, we do deal with older workers for the most part. A lot of the older workers do not understand the computer age and they need a lot of assistance with the computers. I do believe that this holds them back quite a bit from availability of jobs. Another big group we have are the unemployed. I do handle the reemployment services workshops for anyone on unemployment. A lot of these individuals do have problems with payments coming in and resolving those issues as well as getting them on the way to a new career. We do have a few clients that are disabled and a lot of those clients do you work with our sister partner agency DORS. The majority of our customers are clients that do have a few skills some more than others, of course. We have clients that come from a very high background, such as managerial or scientific backgrounds and we have entry-level clients as well. We do have African-American clients, but most of our clients are Caucasian. Most of our clients also do speak English and do not need assistance in that manner. We also serve veterans at our center, and some of these veterans will have a severe barrier to employment also known as SBE. For any individuals that are re-entering the workforce from incarceration, we do have a reentry navigator to assist, and their returning to the workforce.