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.
My office has a few different programs that we have and each of them serve different populations. With our youth apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, we are focused on high school aged students that reside in Rural Montana. For our youth apprenticeships, we are currently working in one of the tribal communities in Montana and for our pre-apprenticeships, we are working with two charter schools, down in the Bitterroot Valley. For these two programs, I mainly work with Generation Z individuals. We also have our registered apprentice programs where I find myself working with more adult learners who are looking to expand their skills and advance in their career. Again, this is mainly individuals who reside in rural communities that have limited access to postsecondary and continuing education opportunities. With our registered apprenticeship programs, I would the generations I work with include Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. A lot of my communication methods with these individuals includes both emails, phone calls, or Microsoft Teams meetings. However, when I am interacting with the Generation Z population, I have found that they do not typically respond to emails, so I have had to change my communication methods to texting them instead because they are quicker to respond and more likely to see that I messaged them.
The biggest resource that I use when working with these different groups and programs is my interpersonal skills. Because I do this work remotely, I spend a lot of time meeting with the different individuals who are interested in these programs and opportunities to explain the benefits that they can offer. Apprenticeships and career pathways are a bit if a new concept in Montana, especially for the healthcare field, so being able to meet with the students and adult learners interested in these programs has proven to be very beneficial for them. Engaging with multiple community partners is also a key resource that we use working with these individuals as well. Since I do not directly interact with these individuals until they have decided they are ready to start one of these programs, it is really important for me to work with school career counselors and advisors that work on getting students and individuals set up with the right program.
I have found it difficult to encourage Generation Z participants to utilize or check their email as well! It is difficult because we want to set them up for success in the professional setting where they will likely be utilizing email and will be responsible for checking it regularly. We have even had some of this miss job opportunities because they missed the email offering them an interview.
We are hybrid here and have to use interpersonal skills by holding meeting through Teams, text, messages, and we attend court via Zoom. I have never worked with a rural population and wish you the best of luck with your new growing program!
I do agree with you regarding the communication. It is one of the most challenges that we face while working with any population thar we serve despite their education level or even their age.
Last month we hosted a job fair, 43 employers and about 650 job seekers attended. After we done, I sent a survey for all of them. The responses that I have got are from 17 employers and 12 job seekers.
However, changing the ways of communication is a good point to consider all the time.
Our program serves 18-32 people who are residents of Cook County in Chicago that have been charged with their first felony level drug charge that includes the intent to distribute. We additionally have begun to serve individuals with their first UUW charge. Our participants primarily live in the South and West side of Chicago who are unemployed and typically are in neighborhoods with high rates of gang violence. There are primarily Black and Latine men, but there is also a small number of women and other ethnicities who get referred to our program. A lot of the participants have children, some have long-term partners, but most of the participants with children have strained relationships with the other parent. Quite of a few of them do not have a GED or high school diploma and I would say generally they are between a 3rd-8th grade reading level. Most of them are straight and gender-conforming, but there have been a few participants that have disclosed their LGBTQIA+ identity. Many of them have previous misdemeanors on their record and were heavily involved in the juvenile justice systems. They are heavily systems impacted and live in neighborhoods where their communities are heavily policed and they experience losses from gun violence commonly. It is interesting because the majority of our staff is women and so we often have balance perceptions of us based on their previous experience with other women authority figures in their lives. I am personally non-binary and have openly shared that with participants and have had generally neutral or positive responses, sometime my self disclosure also opens up deeper conversations about identity, marginalization, and their own experiences in the work place.
The resources we utilize are bus and gas cards to make sure they have transportation to program. We develop safety plans for those who may be gang affiliated and have safety issues riding public transportation or being in certain parts of the city. We also have client support funds to help them with basic needs such as clothing for an interview, housing, clothing for work, etc. The program also provides them with access to free counseling in the office with the clinical case manager and we utilize collaboration by working with a community based organization collective that connects our participants to different job leads and resources across the city. We also form relationships with employers through collaboration to make sure we are doing our best to send participants to opportunities where they will at least be considered even with something on their background.
These are such important resources you are offering to your clients. When we develop programs, I think a big factor to consider is who will be utilizing the program and what resources they already have and or may need to properly utilize the program. In Montana, transportation is a really big thing we try to consider especially with how many rural areas there are. These are all great resources that your organization offers and can be so beneficial in helping individuals be successful in reentering the workforce. Great job!
I think when working with different populations we have to adapt to and understand where they come from and both of our biases to help them. You are right that they have perceptions based on previous experiences working with women, people in authority, or just society in general so you have to be careful with how you communicate with them and how you provide information to them. You stated in your post some participants do not have GED’s or high school diplomas so you are not going to provide them excessive amounts of literature to read because you don’t know if they will understand but if you talk to them and provide them the information verbally then maybe they will absorb the information better.
For the last 13 years, I have been working with different groups in Sacramento, CA society that can consider as a multiculture environment. Those groups can be immigrants and refugees, low-income people, ethnically diverse and from a different generations.
For immigrants and refugees, this population are newcomers, most of them came from the Middle East Asia carrying similar religious culture and traditions. Also, you can consider them as a low-income people in addition to the people who are already living in the country with limited income resources. Different types of resources were offered like, interpretation and translation, housing, Welfare that included cash and food benefits, transportation, immigration services, legal resources, disability benefits, employment services, financial literacy, and adult education.
The ethnically diverse group where people from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds present within the community and seeking for services. Resources provided for this group included employment services including P2E (Prison 2 Employment) program, housing assistance, legal services like expungement clinics, Welfare benefits, transportation, access to food sources, financial literacy, and training programs.
Key resources provided to the school age customers included trade programs for high schoolers, college readiness programs, career advancement programs, and cultural orientation and competency.
Hi Fiasel,
Your work deffinetly address the needs of many different groups. In my work with refugees from Afghanistan, I provide direct employment services and assist with applying for benefits like cash, food, and health insurance. As a woman and a member of a minority group from Afghanistan, I sometimes face challenges, especially when working with male clients who may have different views. However, I always try to focus on establishing respectful communication by actively listening to them while maintaining cultural sensitivity. I either provide the resources they need or connect them to appropriate services. This approach has been very helpful in building trust with my clients.
I do agree with you regarding the communication. It is one of the most challenges that we face while working with any population thar we serve despite their education level or even their age.
Last month we hosted a job fair, 43 employers and about 650 job seekers attended. After we done, I sent a survey for all of them. The responses that I have got are from 17 employers and 12 job seekers.
However, changing the ways of communication is a good point to consider all the time.
Currently, I work for the local Workforce Development Board and our providers work with the Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth, and the Re-Entry populations. We provide a lot of technical assistance to our providers in terms of how they are facilitating their programs and I see first hand how working with adults who are Gen X, Y, Z, veterans who are separating from the military and youths and very different in their responses to workshops, job fairs, and overall communication. We have providers that work specifically with Opportunity youth and provide WEX’s or OJT’s for ISY and OSY and it can be challenging. They don’t respond to emails from employers or when they do get employment they don’t have the work ethic the need to succeed so they give up. All of the=se populations some from different backgrounds so it is important that we communicate effectively and on a level they understand so we can help them.
I am struggling with a similar issue too. Communication across generations is tough to manage. I hate to say it, but we use a texting software to reach out to candidates that do not respond via email. As you can imagine, this has yielded positive results with younger generations. Additionally, when I do receive email responses, they are typically what I would deem as unprofessional. We are working closely with local organizations and partner high schools to improve the work readiness skills of high school students. I am pretty excited about this and hope it gives kids the confidence and tools they may need to show up and put their best foot forward.
Working for an organization with over 13,000 employees I have the pleasure of serving a large very diverse population, including different races, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. To support their professional development, we provide schooling options and benefits that cover the costs of certifications and further education. This ensures that financial constraints do not impede their career progression. Additionally, we offer transportation support to ease the burden of commuting, enabling greater access to job opportunities, resources for quality and cost-effective childcare, and we have allotted money to purchases extra uniforms for those who express need. We are also looking to implement flexible weekly pay options.
Additionally, we strive to create a safe and supportive space through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that provide a platform for networking, advocacy, and mutual support. These ERGs play a crucial role in promoting inclusivity and ensuring that all employees feel valued and respected.
In addressing the needs of a multi-generational workforce, we offer internship, apprenticeships and job shadowing programs are designed to bridge the generational gap, offering hands-on experience and mentorship opportunities to high school students. Through partnerships with local schools, we provide these students with valuable career exploration opportunities, equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary for the future, whether in healthcare or any sector. We have noticed this has been beneficial for all parties. Recently we have been developing and facilitating our own in-house development programing.
Ultimately, the goal is to eliminate barriers and create room for growth and development however we can.
I love that you are incorporating and leveraging Employee Resource Groups in your strategy. As a former Board member and active member of several ERGs at my current employer, they provide me with much needed support, inclusion and networking. My company have ERGs for Black Americans, Latinos, Women, Parents, LGBTQ+ and Allies, Military, AAPI and an all-inclusive group. Admittedly, I’m a member of majority of these because I see the value in them. I used to work at companies that didn’t have ERGs and looking back on it, that may have played a role in my negative experience. ERGs not only support employees but help build a positive work culture and safe work environment.
For my work in social responsibility, we have target audiences for our career development work. These are individuals without college degrees, women, African Americans, Latinos and rural populations. Using research, we identified these populations as those who are most in need of the programming we offer. They are historically underrepresented or excluded, causing their career opportunities to be drastically limited. Additionally, research shows that these populations make up the majority of low income and unemployed. Knowing all of this, our marketing tactics target these individuals to ensure they know about the skill training and career resources we provide so that they can take advantage of them in hopes of improving their lifestyle and career paths. For these individuals, we rely heavily on digital resources including online training via a LMS managed by a MOOC, job boards, video conferencing for workshops and live webinars, email communications and websites.
For my career coaching work, I don’t use target marketing. Yet, all of my clients to-date have been women with diversity beyond that. Some were women of color looking to make a career shift after being at entry level for some time. Some were stay-at-home Gen X mothers looking to re-enter the workforce after years away. I also helped Baby Boomers who were looking to reel back their workloads as they progressed toward retirement. All different women needing different types of support from me. However, across the board I have been consistent with my resources which include video conferencing, texts and phone calls, email communications, LinkedIn and Microsoft suite. I like to keep it simple with as much direct communication as possible to build a strong connection with my clients.
Miranda, It is nice to learn how you work well and embody the characteristics that a culturally competent, social justice-oriented person uses to work with diverse and underrepresented populations across industry sectors. I especially liked the part about you keeping it simple with direct communication to build a strong connection. We are all humans just trying to help each other out.
“What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?” —Novelist George Eliot
I’ve enjoyed reading what everyone does for multicultural populations, thank you! I am eager to get started in this field with how noble this training has been. Because I do not have clients or prior experience the following is a hypothetical situation for how I would embody the characteristics of a culturally competent, social justice-oriented person in working with marginalized populations. It aims to demonstrate empathy, respect, and a proactive approach to addressing the unique challenges faced by marginalized populations. It also highlights the importance of creating a supportive and inclusive environment for all clients.
Career Services Provider:
“Hello, I’m glad you reached out for career support. I want to ensure that our conversation today is respectful and inclusive of your unique experiences and background. Could you share a bit about your career goals and any challenges you’ve faced in your job search?”
Client:
“Thank you. I’m looking for a job in tech, but I’ve faced discrimination in the past because of my background and identity.”
Career Services Provider:
“I’m really sorry to hear that you’ve had those experiences. It’s important to acknowledge the systemic barriers that can impact job seekers from marginalized communities. Let’s work together to navigate these challenges. We can start by identifying companies known for their inclusive practices and creating a resume that highlights your strengths and experiences.”
Client:
“That sounds helpful. I also worry about how to present myself in interviews.”
Career Services Provider:
“That’s a valid concern. We can practice interview techniques that allow you to confidently share your story while addressing any potential biases. Additionally, we can discuss strategies for self-advocacy and finding allies within the workplace. Remember, your unique perspective is a valuable asset.”
Client:
“Thank you for understanding and offering practical advice. It makes me feel more hopeful about my job search.”
Career Services Provider:
“You’re very welcome. I’m here to support you every step of the way. Let’s set up a plan that includes regular check-ins to track your progress and address any new challenges that arise. Together, we’ll work towards achieving your career goals.”
I’ve been working as a case manager for two years, primarily assisting Afghan refugees and parolees. I focus on two main groups: skilled professionals and those with limited work experience or literacy challenges.
For skilled professionals who have experience in areas like engineering, computer science, IT, or business, the challenge is often getting their credentials recognized in the US. To assist them, I refer them to the CLEVER Program. This program helps by evaluating their qualifications and providing funding for certifications, so they can continue their careers here.
For those with limited work experience or who face literacy challenges, especially if they are receiving TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), I enroll them in program called the Community Job program. This program lets them work part-time and also requires them to take ESL classes. It’s especially helpful if both parents in a family join the program, as it can help them earn enough to cover rent and other small expenses.
We mainly work with members of the Ho-Chunk Nation and some from other tribes. Currently, we are focusing on the Youth Vocational Exploration Program until school starts. We also work with adults and elders in our program. Working with youth is easier as we use phones, texting, messaging, phone pictures of documents, online fillable forms, and email. Our adult clients seem to have different barriers, as they do not rely as much on their phones and use email or make phone calls. Then we have our elders, who prefer making appointments by phone or walking in. They prefer in-person intake appointments. We are very flexible, and so are my Case Managers. We consider this a blessing.
We also work with clients who have intergenerational trauma, alcoholism, and re-entry needs. For these individuals, we primarily conduct more in-depth intakes due to their delicate circumstances. We want them to know that we care about their employment and want to provide them with opportunities to make positive changes in their lives.