AREA: / On the Job Training Pilot Project
REFERENCE: / None
DATE: / 4/25/06
TO: / All CWES STAFF, Adult Education Coalition, Community College
FROM: / Alette Lundeberg, DEBS Administrator
BACKGROUND
On September 1, 2005, CWES entered into a new partnership with the City of San Jose Workforce Investment Board (SVWIN), often referred to locally as WIA in order to provide On-the-Job Training (OJT) for up to 20 CWES clients or the expenditure of $100,000 dollars. Utilizing funding from WIA, the CWES’ Marketing Unit is responsible for the recruitment of employers from one of four industry clusters: Health, Hospitality, Finance and Retail Services. OJT employers that are recruited to provide on-the-job training in one of these three areas are required to sign an agreement with a detail outline of competencies that must be mastered by the client. The business process is outline in Attachment A – Employer Tracking Flow Chart.
Participating OJT employers will be approved to provide training from three to a maximum of six months. The OJT employer will pay the client wages during the training period approved and will be reimbursed for half of the training wage, with the agreement that successful clients will be hired permanently at the end of the training period.
The OJT placement is considered subsidized employment and the income earned by the client is considered reportable wages which may impact their cash grant amount. However, for data reporting in CalWIN and the WTW25/25A, the assigned activity will be “On the Job Training/WIA.”
REFERRALS
Eligible clients will be referred primarily by the Assessment Unit as one of the recommended activities of the WTW Plan developed. Other referring sources may also come from Adult Education, Community College, Employment Connection staff or the Employment Technician.
All referrals are pre-screened by the Marketing Unit staff who is assigned to the OJT Project. After referrals are pre-screened and approved as a potential candidate for OJT the client is scheduled with one or more potential OJT Employers for a meeting. If a job match occurs and the client is hired by the employer the Marketing Unit staff will prepare and submit documents that must be reviewed and approved by WIA before a client can start working. The documents range from a WIA Intake Eligibility Packet, Employer OJT Agreement, and OJT Competency Outline developed for the client, to a number of Fiscal documents.
ENROLLMENT/Start Date
Upon receiving approval from WIA for the client to begin the OJT assignment, a start date of the OJTis agreed upon between the OJT Employer and the client. This is coordinated by the Marketing staff. Marketing staff will verify that the client showed up to the first day of the OJT assignment. Marketing Unit staff will report to the assigned Employment Technician of the first day show and forward the SC1818 Verification of Employment as the means to verify enrollment into the OJT.
MONITORING PROGRESS/ATTENDANCE
WIA and Marketing Unit staff will be responsible to monitor the participation, progress and attendance of the OJT client. This will be done by monthly site visits to ensure the OJT Employer is following the OJT Competency Training Outline and client is making satisfactory progress. The OJT client will still be required to submit the SC1755 to the assigned Employment Technician. Any participation problems will be reported to the assigned caseworker by the Marketing Unit staff. Non-compliance is not required if the client has been discontinued from cash assistance due to the OJT earnings and is now a PAS case. If the OJT assignment results in the client being ineligible for cash assistance the OJT activity must be ended and assigned to the appropriate FTE activity with or without aid and then is processed accordingly for Stage II Childcare and/or PAS follow up.
COMPLETION
A successful placement from any OJT assignment is considered full time employment. Once the OJT client completes the assignment and is permanently hired by the employer or another employer, the Marketing Unit staff will notify the assigned Employment Technician of any changes in wages and/or employer.
PROCESS FLOW (Attachment B: OJT Participant Flow Chart)
STAGE / WHO / ACTIONI. / Marketing Staff / Emails OJT Job Orders to Referral Sources.
II. / Referral Sources / Assessment Unit* – prepares packet and forwards to the Marketing Unit Supervisor for consideration as an OJT potential candidate.
Colleges/Adult Education* – places phone call or email to Marketing Unit Supervisor to recommend potential candidate for OJT.
Employment Connection Center Staff*– places phone call or email to Marketing Unit Supervisor to recommend potential candidate for OJT.
*Marketing Unit must notify assigned Employment Technician by email or phone call or via case notes that the client is being recommended for an OJT assignment and a referral has been made to the Marketing Unit to pre-screen the client. Any additional supportive services must be reviewed by the assigned Employment Technician; however, no change to the assigned activity is made at this time.
III. / Marketing Unit Staff / Marketing Unit staff pre-screens referral to determine if an OJT assignment match can be made.
If referral is accepted – the client is schedule for a meeting with an OJT Employer by Marketing and the referring source and the assigned Employment Technician is notified by email or phone call or via case notes. Any adjustment to supportive services is also to be made by the assigned Employment Technician.
If referral is not accepted – the referring source and the assigned Employment Technician is notified by email or phone call or case notes.
NOTE: the assigned Employment Technician does not make any changes to the assigned activity at this time. Client is expected to continue in the primary activity unless a successful OJT match occurs or client continues in the primary activity when not accepted as a referral to OJT by the Marketing Unit.
IV. / Marketing Unit Staff/ESI Staff / If a successful OJT match is made the required documents for enrollment into WIA/OJT are prepared and submitted for approval.
Upon approval the start date is negotiated between WIA, CWES/ESI, the Employer and the client.
Marketing Unit Staff is required to notify the referring source and the assigned Employment Technician by email, phone call or via case notes.
V. / Employment Technician / Signs the WTW2 Plan and arranges supportive services. Ends the prior activity and assigns the client to “On the Job Training/WIA.
VI. / Marketing Unit Staff / Verifies first day show and reports to assigned Employment Technician by email or via case notes and forwards the SC1818.
VII. / Employment Technician / If client is a first day showthe assigned Employment Technician monitors the OJT assignment as follows:
If cash aid is discontinued due OJT wages earned, then the case is processed according to PAS Procedures and the assigned activity will need to be ended and changed to Fulltime Employed.
If cash aid is NOT discontinued and OJT wages are being earned, then the case is monitored following Full Time Employed on Aid procedures.
If client does not show for first day of OJT assignment assigned Employment Technician,and then applies the Non-Compliance Procedures.
VIII. / Marketing Unit Staff / Monitors OJT client participation during the training period and reports via case notes progress or status update to the assigned Employment Technician regardless if the client is either a PAS case or Active Full Time Employed case.
IX. / Marketing Unit Staff / Reports completion of assigned OJT assignment to assigned Employment Technician and provides any update of change in wages and/or employer.
If an OJT client fails to complete the assigned OJT assignment and/or is restored to cash assistance as a result of an OJT non-completion, the client’s next activity is determine per the CWES Participant Flow for any PAS client who is restored to the program.
COMMON QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
- How is OJT recorded in CALWIN as an activity?
Answer: It is recorded as “On the Job Training/WIA”.
- If client is recruited and accepted and approved for an OJT assignment who signs updates the WTW Plan?
Answer: The assigned Employment Technician.
- How is information to be communicated to the assigned Employment Technician and what type of documents should be expected?
Answer: Information is to be communicated via email, case notes and/or phone call to assigned Employment Technician from the Marketing Unit. The verification of employment form (SC1818) is to be forwarded to the assigned Employment Technician from the Marketing Unit. The SC1818 will serves as verification of enrollment into OJT/WIA and for employment follow up when the client is ineligible for cash assistance.
- Clarify if OJT is considered a placement or vocational training?
Answer: For purpose of data reporting for CalWIN, the activity is reflected as “OJT/WIA”; for the purpose of reporting to the State on the WTW25/25A report, it is reflected as OJT; and for the purpose of reporting total employments, it will count in the sum total of employment.
- When is the SC1818 submitted, if at all?
Answer: The SC1818 is submitted to the assigned Employment Technician by the Marketing Unit when they verify that the client showed up to first day of the OJT placement.
- Will the OJT placement impact eligibility and trigger a PAS referral?
Answer: Eligibility will be affected because the OJT wages earned by the client is considered reportable income and it may have an impact. If the case aid is discontinued, yes, the OJT placement will trigger a PAS referral.
- For clients that are referred for Job Club, how should the assigned Employment Technician proceed if Job Club has ended and the OJT referral is still being determined?
Answer: The assigned Employment Technician should extend the Job Club activity until the Marketing Unit determines whether the referral will result in a placement.
- What activity code should the assigned Employment Technician enter in CalWIN?
Answer: Activity is On the Job Training/WIA. If the client is subsequently discontinued from cash assistance during the OJT assignment, the activity is ended and client is assigned to full time employment.
- Can the assigned Employment Technician go to the Marketing Unit for updates regarding the OJT assignment?
Answer: Yes and the assigned Employment Technician may want to check the case notes for any updates that may have been entered by the Marketing Unit staff.
- Should the assigned Employment Technician report the income to the assigned Eligibility Worker? Does OJT income count as Net Countable income in determining and adjusting the cash aid grant:
Answer: Yes the income should be reported both by the assigned Employment Technician and the client. Yes, the income is considered as part of determining continued eligibility of cash assistance.
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