Ending homelessness through employment and housing requires a focused effort aimed at building linkages with the mainstream workforce system, using innovative, proven strategies and advocating for the necessary resources and supports. Homeless jobseekers with barriers to employment are disadvantaged in the best of times. In the current economy, agencies need better tools and skilled practice. In this pre-conference session, we will help participants make use of new the Community Employment Pathway guidebook provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create training and job opportunities, explore how hopeFound has combined a Housing First, work first program using motivational interviewing as a cornerstone practice. Speakers also addressed the need for local and national advocacy for financial resources, employment encouraging policies, and access to mainstream services.
How to Streamline Your Induction Programme to Fit Into Your Organisational Cu...The HR Observer
Introducing your new employees to the company is one the key steps to having an engaged workforce. The purpose of this session is to raise the importance of induction in acclimatising employees to an organisation and show you how you can evaluate your existing onboarding and induction processes. Elrona will showcase various approaches to creating an induction programme that is suitable to the Middle East’s multicultural organisation s while maintaining local considerations. You will see the benefits of aligning induction with organisation culture and business and how to engage with line managers by promoting the value added to all stakeholders.
Elrona D’Souza, Associate Consultant, PeopleFirst
This ppt. includes in brief about "Placement and Induction" topics of HRM :-
1.Introduction and meaning about placement
2.Importance of placement and induction
3.objectives of placement and induction
4.Procedure of placement and induction
5. Socialization concept in HRM
“Placement refers to the allocations of people to the job. It includes initials assignment of new employees and promotion transfer or demotion of present employees.”
->Introduction of placement
->Definition of placement
->Significance of placement
->Principles of placement
->Process of placement
->Differential of placement
->Importance of placement
->Benefits of placement
->Conclusion
Outplacement services brochure. Information on how Glide Outplacement helps job seekers and people in transition. Lists range of services including redundancy support, career guidance, job search strategy, resume and cover letter writing, interview coaching, negotiations.
How to Streamline Your Induction Programme to Fit Into Your Organisational Cu...The HR Observer
Introducing your new employees to the company is one the key steps to having an engaged workforce. The purpose of this session is to raise the importance of induction in acclimatising employees to an organisation and show you how you can evaluate your existing onboarding and induction processes. Elrona will showcase various approaches to creating an induction programme that is suitable to the Middle East’s multicultural organisation s while maintaining local considerations. You will see the benefits of aligning induction with organisation culture and business and how to engage with line managers by promoting the value added to all stakeholders.
Elrona D’Souza, Associate Consultant, PeopleFirst
This ppt. includes in brief about "Placement and Induction" topics of HRM :-
1.Introduction and meaning about placement
2.Importance of placement and induction
3.objectives of placement and induction
4.Procedure of placement and induction
5. Socialization concept in HRM
“Placement refers to the allocations of people to the job. It includes initials assignment of new employees and promotion transfer or demotion of present employees.”
->Introduction of placement
->Definition of placement
->Significance of placement
->Principles of placement
->Process of placement
->Differential of placement
->Importance of placement
->Benefits of placement
->Conclusion
Outplacement services brochure. Information on how Glide Outplacement helps job seekers and people in transition. Lists range of services including redundancy support, career guidance, job search strategy, resume and cover letter writing, interview coaching, negotiations.
Ending homelessness through employment and housing requires a focused effort aimed at building linkages with the mainstream workforce system, using innovative, proven strategies and advocating for the necessary resources and supports. Homeless jobseekers with barriers to employment are disadvantaged in the best of times. In the current economy, agencies need better tools and skilled practice. In this pre-conference session, we will help participants make use of new the Community Employment Pathway guidebook provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create training and job opportunities, explore how hopeFound has combined a Housing First, work first program using motivational interviewing as a cornerstone practice. Speakers also addressed the need for local and national advocacy for financial resources, employment encouraging policies, and access to mainstream services.
Assembling Your Staff
The practice of medicine is by far one of the most important fields in which people can work. Taking care of peoples health is such an important profession that it should have only employees who take pride in their job and want to come to work each week
IntroductionWe all know that the four factors of producti.docxvrickens
Introduction
We all know that the four factors of production are land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship. By skillfully combining all of the above factors, we have been able to create goods and services which in turn have created economic value.
Through this presentation we would like to provide some impetus on the second factor of production i.e.Labor.
The basic definition of labor can be stated as the human effort of one or more individual which is required to create goods and services. It is the responsible of the entrepreneur to bring together the labor resources so as to be able to create value. (Unknown)
-Contd
Labor as a factor of production can mean different things in different circumstances. For example a doctor treating patients in his clinic can be considered an entrepreneur as well as labor. On the other hand, a receptionist hired by the same doctor would be considered labor.
The doctor hires some support staff to be able to perform his or her tasks more efficiently while being able to maximize returns after paying the salaries for the staff. This can only happen if the staff is qualified and can work according to the expectations of the employer.
In this context, it becomes necessary to properly assess the hiring process for any organization so that they can maximize returns while controlling costs.
Hiring Best Practices
Here are some of the best practices that we believe, all employers should employ
Identify Need – The first step towards hiring somebody is for an individual in charge of hiring to identify a need. This may seem easier than it sounds but in many cases we have seen that organizations being overstaffed, carrying high salary costs and having highly unproductive resources.
Define Job description – Once a need has been identified, the employer must spend time to define what tasks are expected to be done by the prospective employee. Failure to do this causes friction between the employer and employee and may hamper performance of the employee.
Best Practices - contd
Plan the Hiring – Once the description and requirement have been established, it is necessary to outline how the process is expected to be completed right from the time of posting the job on various platforms to the point of onboarding the employee. It is helpful to identify the internal resources which are responsible for driving the process to completion and make sure they know the expectations.
Market Availability – Once all the internal planning is in place, the firm must actively market the open position. It is often experienced that openings go unfulfilled due to the lack of awareness among the job seekers. The firm should aggressively market the position on various job portals, newspaper classifieds, social media as well as their own website. The more awareness created, the more applicants and higher chances of fulfilling the position.
Best Practices - contd
Review CV’s – A strong marketing campaign would ...
The Director of WoodGreen Employment Services requested I create a 15 minute presentation on the transformation of WoodGreen\'s Employment Resource Centres and the new role of the Resource Facilitator. The outline for the presentation was based on 3 questions which the Director provided.
EDUC 210 - PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT IN EDUCATION : TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
1. Assessing Training Needs of an Organization
2. Types of Employee Training Programs
3. New Hire Orientation: Importance of Training Design & Content
4. Methods for Training Employees: Mentoring, On-The-Job & Job Rotation
5. Designing Training and Developing Programs for Faculty and Staff
6. What Is Career Management and Development? - Definition and Purpose
7. Career Stages: Establishment, Advancement, Maintenance & Withdrawal
8. Common Methods of Employee Discipline
This presentations by Carl Falconer is from the workshop 3.03 Implementing Effective Governance to End Homelessness from the 2015 National Conference on Ending Homelessness.
Effective governance sets the tone for a systemic focus on ending homelessness. Speakers will discuss the essential elements of effective governance, including managing and measuring performance and right-sizing the crisis response system through resource allocation.
Slides from a presentations by Cynthia Nagendra of the National Alliance to End Homelessness from a webinar that originally streamed on Tuesday, April 7, 2015 covering steps one and three of the Alliance's "5 Steps for Ending Veteran Homelessness" document.
"Housing First and Youth" by Stephen Gaetz from the workshop 4.6 Housing and Service Models for Homeless Youth at the 2014 National Conference on Ending Homelessness.
Frontline Practice within Housing First Programs by Benjamin Henwood from the workshop 5.9 Research on the Efficacy of Housing First at the 2014 National Conference on Ending Homelessness.
Rapid Re-Housing with DV Survivors: Approaches that Work by Kris Billhardt from the workshop Providing Rapid Re-housing for Victims of Domestic Violence at the 2014 National Conference on Ending Homelessness.
Non-chronic Adult Homelessness: Background and Opportunities by Dennis Culhane from the workshop 1.7 Non-Chronic Homelessness among Single Adults: An Overview at the 2014 National Conference on Ending Homelessness
California’s Approach for Implementing the Federal Fostering Connections to Success Ac by Lindsay Elliott from
5.8 Ending Homelessness for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care at the 2014 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness.
Family Reunification Pilot, Alameda County, CA from the work shop 6.1 Partnering with Child Welfare Agencies to End Family Homelessness at the 2013 National Conference on Ending Homelessness.
Improving Homeless Assistance Through Learning Collaboratives by Elains De Coligny and Kathie Barkow from the 2013 National Conference on Ending Homelessness
Shelter diversion by Ed Boyte from 6.5 Maximizing System Effectiveness through Homelessness Prevention from the 2013 National Conference on Ending Homelessness
"Evaluating Philadelphia’s Rapid Re-Housing Impacts on Housing Stability and Income," by Jamie Vanasse Taylor Cloudburst and Katrina Pratt-Roebuck from the 2013 National Conference on Ending Homelessness/.
More from National Alliance to End Homelessness (20)
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Embracing GenAI - A Strategic ImperativePeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
Instructions for Submissions thorugh G- Classroom.pptxJheel Barad
This presentation provides a briefing on how to upload submissions and documents in Google Classroom. It was prepared as part of an orientation for new Sainik School in-service teacher trainees. As a training officer, my goal is to ensure that you are comfortable and proficient with this essential tool for managing assignments and fostering student engagement.
1. WorkFirst
WorkFirst is a three year demonstration project to support long-term housing retention
and self-sufficiency among 140 newly housed formerly homeless men and women.
Eligibility, Engagement, and Enrollment
There are three criteria for WorkFirst program eligibility:
Clients must be newly housed in permanent subsidized housing for less than 90
days
Housing can have no prerequisites such as sobriety
Clients must be receiving case management services
Newly housed client information is entered into HMIS and an electronic referral to
WorkFirst is automatically generated within 48 hours; 100% referral to WorkFirst. Once
the referral is received by the WorkFirst Manager, the case is assigned to an
Employment Services (ES) staff person. The ES then contacts HousingFirst staff to
arrange a time for both staff members to meet together with the client.
Engagement with a newly housed client must take place within the first 90 days of being
housed for enrollment purposes. For enrollment determination, the client must express
an interest in work.
At the initial meeting, WorkFirst staff gives client a Welcome Bag which contains a
written inspirational quote, a granola bar, chap stick, hand sanitizer, a Dunkin Donuts
card, and two Charlie Cards. Staff and client work together to identify any obstacles to
participation in the program.
After enrollment, the client continues to receive case management services from
HousingFirst and begins to meet with WorkFirst staff to build a relationship and continue
the conversation about employment.
WorkFirst Approach
Traditional employment services are based on the premise that a client must be “job
ready” before beginning to assist the client in securing employment. The WorkFirst
program turns this notion upside down and says “we’re ready when you are.” It is based
on the philosophy that a client is ready to start thinking about work at any point in their
journey toward housing and wholeness.
Often times entry level jobs do not lead to long term employment retention or to financial
security. A goal for WorkFirst is for clients to view career ladders and growth potential
as a normal part of work experience. WorkFirst will assist people with further training,
credentialing or other requirements to move into more skilled and better paying jobs.
This requires a long term commitment on the part of both clients and counselors.
WorkFirst is premised on the mounting evidence based research that a client’s interest
in finding employment is a powerful motivator for helping clients take action in other
parts of their lives. WorkFirst understands that a client can begin taking small steps
toward employment without requiring the client to be “job ready” in the traditional sense.
2. The flexibility of the WorkFirst approach provides the basis for starting the employment
conversation with a client, be it on the street, in a shelter, or in permanent subsidized
housing. WorkFirst understands that reaching employment goals is a long-term process
and is willing to start the journey with their clients, wherever they are in their lives, to
discover new paths towards the goal.
WorkFirst holds several fundamental beliefs about working with clients. These beliefs
include providing services that are person-centered, client-directed, and strengths-based
These approaches to working with clients align with the stages of change applied in
harm reduction activities and motivational interviewing. WorkFirst believes that
incorporating career development activities into core services is essential for a client’s
long- term economic stability.
The person-centered approach is based on the work of psychologist Carl Rogers.
Rogers believed that all people have an innate capacity for positive growth. This drive
may become lost or misdirected, yet with the proper environment it can reemerge.
Empathy, genuineness and acceptance are key pieces of the environment Rogers
strove to create.
This approach applies in several ways in the types of helping relationships that
WorkFirst develops with clients. Staff believes that each person can change for the
better; this is central to helping. This non-coercive approach values people for who they
are, rather than who they aren’t. This in turn allows people to experience themselves in
a more positive manner.
The elements of this approach are quite simple. Reflective listening, that is
paraphrasing or reflecting feelings, without adding one’s own judgment, is essential.
The other important piece is communicating one’s own opinion accurately and in a
manner that is useful to the person one is helping. For example, if a staff person does
not like a choice a person is making, s/he can state that they have concerns and what
those concerns are. The worries belong to the staff person; the individual does not need
to agree with them. Yet, it may lead to a conversation and understanding about
elements of the choice.
Client-directed services are simply that, services that the client chooses. Initially, this
may mean that the client agrees to meet with WorkFirst staff, to engage in some
conversations about his or her life experience, to have a cup of coffee or a stroll around
the block. The pace and degree of interaction is dictated by the client. Staff may make
suggestions, ask if the individual might consider something, but understand that the
client has the right of refusal. As clients come to realize that they are not expected to do
something they do not wish to, the “yes-ing” can cease and frank discussions about what
a person wants become more likely.
The strengths-based approach looks at what strengths, skills and abilities are
demonstrated by the client. By focusing on what a person can do, what he or she brings
to a situation, a path is prepared for potential next steps. Challenges are overcome by
realizing what skills or strengths we have and can apply to a situation. The fact that our
clients have experienced homelessness demonstrates a significant degree of strength.
3. Translating these abilities into self-realized work is a key feature of the strength-based
approach.
Stages of Change
The WorkFirst model and the toolkit structure and approach are based on the stages of
change identified by Prochaska and Di Clemente.
The stages of change are:
• Pre-Contemplation
• Contemplation
• Preparation
• Action
• Maintenance
• Relapse
First used in addiction recovery work, these stages have been applied to many other
types of change that people wish to make. John Rio, Senior Program Associate for
Advocates for Human Potential, applied the stages of change to vocational recovery for
homeless job seekers and workers. The toolkit draws on his outline of characteristics of
the vocational situation, motivational orientation, and motivational intervention. In this
approach, behaviors identify the stage a person is in. Interventions can then be targeted
to the particular stage.
The stages of change approach in moving clients toward employment mirrors the harm
reduction model that holds that any positive change or engagement is a success.
Research shows that most lasting change is incremental; thus, small changes add up
over time.
Toolkit Structure
The toolkit is divided into sections based on the six stages of change. Each section
provides a fuller description of the stages of change relative to employment.
The toolkit is divided into six sections:
1. Pre-Contemplation
2. Contemplation
3. Preparation
4. Action
5. Maintenance
6. Relapse
Each section of the toolkit describes the stage and characteristics of the vocational
situation. This includes identifying:
• Stage Behaviors indicative of a particular stage
• Outcomes Key behavioral outcomes that indicate the client is
moving toward the next stage of change
4. • Competencies By participating in the activities in each stage, clients
are enhancing soft skill competencies needed for entry
level jobs
• Actions Activities to engage client
• Resources Materials, handouts, worksheets to support activities
A goal of each section is to provide staff with a menu of activities to use depending on
client needs and to provide staff with the flexibility to decide when is the best time to
offer menu items to a client. The activities can be adapted for use one-on-one or in
small groups. Many of the activities lend themselves to adaptation in the housing
situation, thus allowing for reinforcement of any one-on-one work.
Resources
Resources are to be adapted for one-on-one use, expanded for group situations, or used
as conversation guides. Some resources are listed for use in several stages as they can
be narrowed down or extended as needed.
Resources are drawn primarily from existing employment related curricula:
ABE Florida 2001: Workforce Readiness Learning Activities Resource Guide (FL)
Corporation for Supportive Housing: Job Seeker Planning Tool (CSH)
East Baltimore Pipeline Job Readiness Training Curriculum (BP)
Getting There: A Curriculum for Moving People into Employment (GT)
Integrating Career Awareness into the ABE/ESOL Classroom Curriculum Guide (ICA)
My Story, My Path to Self-Sufficiency, Woman to Woman Program (MM)
Networks: A Guide to Expanding the Employment Networks of Low-Income People
(NET)
Action Plan
As clients enter the Stage of Change called Preparation, staff begins to introduce more
structure into the career and employment exploration process. It becomes more
important to set expectations at each meeting with a client and identify tasks to be
completed by the client before the next meeting. To facilitate this a simple one-page
Action Plan can be used to document what the staff and client accomplished in the
meeting and what each will each do in preparation for the next meeting. It can be signed
by both and a copy given to the client at the end of the meeting. The Action Plan
encourages the development of clients’ planning skills.
5. Using KeyTrain
WorkFirst’s strength-based approach to working with clients includes the use of
KeyTrain, a complete interactive training system for career readiness skills, based on
ACT's WorkKeys® assessment system and the National Career Readiness Certificate.
This online training system provides a means for assessing a client’s foundational skills,
helping a client practice and develop new and stronger skills, and identifying career
opportunities based on skills.
KeyTrain’s Foundational Skills include:
• Reading for Information
• Applied Mathematics
• Locating Information
• Introduction to Applied Technology
• Applied Technology (Electricity, Fluids, Mechanics, and Thermodynamics)
• Business Writing
• Listening
• Observation
• Teamwork
• Writing
• Beginning Language
• Beginning Math
By incorporating KeyTrain into the services provided, WorkFirst provides concrete skills
attainment for clients and a means of verifying skills attainment recognized by
employers. For clients, it builds confidence and self-esteem both essential for pursuing
career and employment opportunities.
Given the WorkFirst approach of engaging with clients based on the stage of change
exhibited behaviorally, KeyTrain is best introduced in the Preparation stage. In this
stage, clients are guided using more structured activities and are encouraged to explore
training options and how to prepare for entering training. It is also useful in the Action
stage when clients are job searching, planning to enter training, or looking for internships
or volunteer opportunities. KeyTrain will help them hone their skills and, depending on
progress attained, prepare to take the ACT/WorkKeys test and receive a certificate of
skill attainment to share with an employer. It is also useful in the Maintenance stage
when clients are thinking about advancement opportunities and identifying skills needed.
Because many clients have had negative experiences with school, assessments, and
testing in general, it is advisable to slowly introduce clients to KeyTrain. A framework for
the conversation is the concept of life-long learning. All workers will need to be
continually improving or upgrading their skills throughout their work lives. KeyTrain is
one step in helping people be successful in their careers.
A method for becoming familiar with skill levels needed for occupations is to have them
first explore occupations using ACT’s World-of-Work interactive map. KeyTrain is
correlated with ACT so the skills described and ranked in the World-of-Work map match
6. those in KeyTrain’s lessons. The World-of-Work map can be found at:
http://www.act.org/wwm/index.html
As an Instructor in KeyTrain you can:
• Assign a pre-test for any skill to help determine and generate the appropriate
lesson level for that skill;
• Manually assign skill lessons at a particular level;
• Track client progress through the Reports function.
Listed below are ways to use KeyTrain when working with a client:
• Build confidence by observing and identifying the client’s strongest KeyTrain
skill(s) and then ask the client to take the assessment test for that skill. By
working from a strength based mode you can encourage the client to build on
that strength through KeyTrain lessons and to be more receptive to assessment
of other skills.
• When a client is thinking about possible jobs or occupations, you may want to
confirm their skill levels. Use the job profiles guide to decide which skills
assessments are key for the job. Start with the one the client or staff thinks is the
strongest for the client. Depending on the gap, between skills needed and skills
a client has, assign skills lessons. If the gap is too wide to be easily closed in a
short period of time, use this as an opportunity to do a reality check with the
client about the occupational match. Help the client explore additional
occupations. This is also a good time to talk about longer term training options to
help close the gap.
• Use the “Search ACT Job Profiles” function in several ways. Clients can search
by location, job category, and/or skill levels. It works best to identify the area for
the search as “both national and local”. If “local” alone is marked there are few
jobs identified.
o For wide skills gaps between a job and a client’s skills, use the function to
identify jobs that better match a client’s current skills.
o Search by job category, not skill level, to identify careers of interest and
then use that to plan on training needed.
• When a client says they have certain skills or performed certain tasks in previous
jobs or volunteer positions and verification is needed. Assign the lesson(s) that
best match the skills described. If the client’s skills are assessed at a lower level
than anticipated by the client, use it as an opportunity to talk about how skills
become rusty when not used consistently. The positive note is that skills can be
regained. Assign lessons to help client begin practicing one of the skills.
• Identifying job training programs and then targeting areas for development to
meet entrance skills criteria.
7. Once clients have attained skill proficiency at the desired level based on KeyTrain
results, clients can proceed to take the ACT/WorkKeys tests for those job skills. If they
succeed in meeting the skill level, then they receive a WorkKeys summary report
verifying that they meet the standards recognized by employers. This summary report
can be included when submitting a resume or a job application. It can also be part of a
employment portfolio shared during a job interview or education or training program
interview.
Portfolio of Success
Staff will guide clients in developing a portfolio of success using the activities and
handouts in the WorkFirst toolkit. The portfolio is a portable description of a client’s
skills, interests, and educational and occupational goals. The portfolio can serve as an
effective tool for clients as they advocate for themselves in both educational and
occupational arenas.
The portfolio includes:
• Discovery Cards
• Checklists of skills, interests, and abilities
• Community resources map
• Practice application for job or a training program
• Evaluations from internships or volunteer positions
• KeyTrain and WorkKeys results
• Resume and cover letter
Post Placement Services
Services offered and activites conducted after placement in a job to facilitate:
• Job retention- keeping a certain job, addressing the barriers and issues effecting
the job retention
• Labor force attachment- maintaining good employment track records
• Career advancement – developing new skills leading to promotion within the
same or new workplace, or new workplace in the same industry
Retention Services
Reflective of the Private/Public Venture (P/PV) Employment Retention Essentials best
practices:
• Focus on retention continuously – make it clear to participants that getting a good
job, keeping it and advancing are the goals
• Develop a trusting relationship with your clients – relationships aimed at helping
people keep their jobs are intentional and professional, but they are also
individual
• Get people into jobs they will keep – target good jobs; know the good employers;
know the right jobs, promote good decision making
• Help people establish work history – plan for the long term; work on work ethics
and interpersonal skills; check the preparations (self image, motivation); develop
job know-how; emphasize responsible job leaving
8. • Provide opportunities to develop skills – promote skills development planning
(ongoing self-assessment, information gathering and goal setting); offer a skills
building programs; arrange internship; provide access to training
• Help people to deal with challenges – successfully adapting to the demands of
working (making the transition to work, preparing for the cost of working, facing
cultural and economic differences, coping with insufficient friends/family/socials
support); respond to clues that spell trouble; know the real resources, make
successful referrals
• Provide ongoing support – manage the workload; plan for retention time; check
with the jobholder; creative contract. “Do you have what it takes?”
• Involve employers – become employment experts to understand your local
industries, jobs and employers
Evaluation
The WorkFirst Evaluation, designed by Advocates for Human Potential, addresses three
questions that are important to program stakeholder as well as to the larger community
of policy makers, service providers and researchers working to improve employment
services and outcomes for homeless people.
1. Efficacy of employment services: Does WorkFirst’s specialized, intensive and
integrated employment services help tenants in Housing First programs
achieve better employment and housing outcomes than do regularly available
employment services?
2. Timing of employment services: Do people who receive employment services
at different points in time relative to their housing placement have different
outcomes? Is it effective, or at least not harmful, to start employment
services immediately upon housing placement or is it more effective to
sequence them?
3. Cost offsets from employment services: Do people in WorkFirst who achieve
employment end up subsequently paying a larger share of their rent with
earnings and thus help offset the costs of the employment services?