The document summarizes the history and development of Berks County Business Services, a program that connects employers to workforce services. It began in 2005 focused on developing employer relationships and is now the main point of contact for employers. Over time, the program expanded its services, added staff, increased marketing, and strengthened connections between employers and job seekers within the one-stop career center. The business services model of exclusively serving employers' needs has been successful, with steady growth in new employers and job orders over the years.

1. 2011 WIB Symposium
Business Services as a Resource to Business
8.17.2011

2. Berks County Business Services
 How did we start?
 What makes us unique?
 Where did we go?
 How did we get there?
 Where are we now?

3. How did we start?
 For Berks County, the approach was
driven by the WIB’s strategic priority
for a strong, employer-connected,
demand-driven One-Stop.

4. Essential Early Decisions
■ Current partner staff levels were busy with
normal customer flow.
■ They needed a full-time sales staff who
were not tied up with order fulfillment.
■ Integrate into PA CareerLink structure and
place under PA CareerLink Administrator’s
management.

5. The Decisions
■ Well-defined roles and tasks
■ Face-to-face employer contacts
■ Generate defined high-quality job orders
■ Target employers (cluster, new and expanding
companies, high growth, key occupations, etc.)
■ Set numerical targets
■ Market PA CareerLink and other services

6. The Beginning
 In 2005 EDSI’s Business Services Team
(BST) was completely focused on
developing a new employer base
 We are now the employer’s main point-of-
contact to all the CareerLink services
 The employers now have a “face” for the
CareerLink

7. What Makes Us Unique?
 We only work with the employers
 We do NOT meet with job seekers
 Our vision:
– To reach out to employers; listen to their
specific needs and match the right services to
the employers’ needs.
We must strive to create enthusiasm in our clients, see
through their eyes, understand their needs and deliver
more than they expect

8. The Model
Business Services
Representative
Employer
Business Services Business Services
Representative Representative

9. Definition of Employer Relationship
 The ongoing cultivation of an employer
through various means of communication
and customer service
– Phone Calls
– Visits – Scheduled and Unscheduled
– Tokens of Appreciation
– Follow Up on Everything
– Emails or Mailings
– Going the Extra Mile

10. Tokens of Appreciation

11. 1000
1500
2000
2500
0
500
4/4/2005
4/18/2005
5/2/2005
5/16/2005
5/30/2005
6/13/2005
6/27/2005
7/11/2005
7/25/2005
8/8/2005
8/22/2005
9/5/2005
9/19/2005
10/3/2005
10/17/2005
10/31/2005
11/14/2005
11/28/2005
12/12/2005
12/26/2005
1/9/2006
1/23/2006
2/6/2006
2/20/2006
Job Order Goal
Actual Job Orders
3/6/2006
Stretch Job Order Goal
Job Posting Goal: 884 ; Actual: 2259
April 2005 to April 2006
3/20/2006

12. 100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
0
50
4/4/2005
4/18/2005
5/2/2005
5/16/2005
5/30/2005
6/13/2005
6/27/2005
7/11/2005
7/25/2005
8/8/2005
8/22/2005
9/5/2005
9/19/2005
10/3/2005
10/17/2005
10/31/2005
11/14/2005
11/28/2005
12/12/2005
12/26/2005
1/9/2006
1/23/2006
2/6/2006
2/20/2006
3/6/2006
Employer Visits Goal
Actual Employer Visits
Stretch Employer Visits
Employer Face to Face Goal: 364 ; Actual: 391
April 2005 – April 2006
3/20/2006

13. The Strategy
Sales and Customer Service
 Blitzing
 Key Industry Clusters by Representative
 County Separation
 Research
 Focus on the Employer's Needs
 Employer Information Resource Binder
 Follow Up

14. Key Industry Clusters by
Representative
 Industry focus
 Representatives become experts
 Participate and present at industry
partnerships meetings

15. Industry Partnerships
 Partnered with:
– Rory Stevenson – Project Manager of
Advanced Materials and Diversified
Manufacturing
– Gina Kormanik – Project Manager of
Transportation and Logistics
– Bob Pozesky– Project Manager of Plastics and
Food Consortium

16. Industry Partnerships
 Act as a resource to all employers within
the partnership
– Assist with CWDS
– Speak about the advantages of CWDS
– Market WorkKeys® and On-the-Job Training

17. Research
Labor Market Tools and Data
 CWIA (www.paworkstats.state.pa.us)
 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(www.bls.gov)

18. US Bureau of Labor Statistics
How is it used?

23. Title One
TITLE TWO / SUB HEAD

25. Database
Results

26. Marketing
 Blitzing
 Employer Information Resource Binder
 Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce and
Industry
 Berks County Television
 Reading Eagle Newspaper
 Berks Economic Partnership Television Show
 Senator’s Awareness
 Social Media

27. Marketing
On-the-Job Training
 {Video} Capitol Connections

28. The Evolution
 In 2009, additional responsibilities were added to
the BST
– Job order solicitation and maintenance of employer
business folders to include:
 Contacting employers without a FEIN
 Entering/Reviewing/Approving/Rejecting all pending
employer folders, contacts, job postings
 Prescreening and forwarding resumes of matched or self-
referred customers
 Reviewing/maintaining fully-referred and hold job postings
 Following up to determine viability of staff-assisted job
postings, closing job postings, and obtaining hire
information.
– Provide website technical assistance to employers

29. Additional Responsibilities
 2 certified WorkKeys® profilers
 Members of the Job Fair Committee
 Schedule and invoice employers for onsite
recruitments
 Create mini job fairs at the CareerLink
 Proctor WorkKeys ® assessments for
OJT’s (backup only)
 OJT applications, gap analysis, training
plans, site visits, invoices, evaluations

30. OJT
 Work one-on-one with the employment
planners
– Review WIA application
– Assist with the scheduling of the individual
– Obtain verification of eligibility
– Obtain signed gap analysis

31. OJT
Gap Analysis

32. OJT
Training Plan

33. The Connection
 Employer Contact Team (ECT)
– BST, EARN Job Developers, Employment
Services Team
– Meet on a monthly basis
– Match Jobs with People
 Open Communication throughout the
CareerLink

34. Then vs. Now
 2003
– 88 New Employers; 1466 New Job Orders
 2004
– 88 New Employers; 1656 New Job Orders
 2005 (EDSI has the Business Services Contract)
– 147 New Employers; 2425 New Job Orders
 2006
– 195 New Employers; 3476 New Job Orders

35. Then vs. Now
 2007
– 59 New Employers; 1753 New Job Orders
 2008 (Recession)
– 109 New Employers; 1822 New Job Orders
 2009
– 92 New Employers; 1643 New Job Orders
 2010
– 162 New Employers; 2095 New Job Orders
 2011 (so far January through June)
– 90 New Employers; 1484 New Job Orders

36. 1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
0
200
400
600
800
7/5/2010
7/19/2010
8/2/2010
8/16/2010
8/30/2010
9/13/2010
9/27/2010
10/11/2010
10/25/2010
11/8/2010
11/22/2010
12/6/2010
12/20/2010
1/3/2011
1/17/2011
1/31/2011
2/14/2011
2/28/2011
3/14/2011
3/28/2011
4/11/2011
4/25/2011
Job Order Goal
5/9/2011
5/23/2011
Actual Job Orders
6/6/2011
2010/2011 Job Posting Goal: 1350; Actual: 1850
Where are we now?
Stretch Job Order Goal
6/20/2011

37. 100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0
50
7/5/201
0
7/19/20
10
8/2/201
0
8/16/20
10
8/30/20
10
9/13/20
10
9/27/20
10
10/11/2
010
10/25/2
010
11/8/20
10
11/22/2
010
12/6/20
10
12/20/2
010
1/3/201
1
1/17/20
11
1/31/20
11
2/14/20
11
2/28/20
11
3/14/20
11
3/28/20
11
4/11/20
11
4/25/20
11
Employ er Visits Goal
5/9/201
1
5/23/20
Actual Employ er Visits
11
6/6/201
1
Stretch Employ er Visits
6/20/20
2010/2011 Employer Visit Goal: 300; Actual: 351
Where are we now?
11

38. 0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
7/4/2011
7/18/2011
8/1/2011
8/15/2011
8/29/2011
9/12/2011
9/26/2011
10/10/2011
10/24/2011
11/7/2011
11/21/2011
12/5/2011
12/19/2011
1/2/2012
1/16/2012
1/30/2012
2/13/2012
2/27/2012
3/12/2012
3/26/2012
4/9/2012
4/23/2012
Job Order Goal
5/7/2012
5/21/2012
Actual Job Orders
6/4/2012
2011/2012 Job Posting Yr. Goal: 1600; Current Goal: 154; Actual: 208
Where are we now?
Stretch Job Order Goal
6/18/2012

39. 50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0
7/4/2011
7/18/2011
8/1/2011
8/15/2011
8/29/2011
9/12/2011
9/26/2011
10/10/2011
10/24/2011
11/7/2011
11/21/2011
12/5/2011
12/19/2011
1/2/2012
1/16/2012
1/30/2012
2/13/2012
2/27/2012
3/12/2012
3/26/2012
4/9/2012
4/23/2012
Employ er Visits Goal
5/7/2012
5/21/2012
Actual Employ er Visits
6/4/2012
Stretch Employ er Visits
2011/2012 Employer Visit Yr. Goal: 300; Current Goal: 29; Actual: 46
Where are we now?
6/18/2012

40. Kristina Harrell
Business Services Manager
610-988-1329
kharrell@edsisolutions.com