Network to Work - Meeting Agenda

Network To Work - Meeting Agenda

April 2016

Staff Guide

Meeting Set Up

Align tables in the shape of a U.
Welcome participants at the entrance with a table of materials, including:
Meeting Agenda and Resource Materials
Workplace Safety Verification Sheet
Blank participant timesheets and Job Search Activity Logs
Informational materials including A4TD SCSEP and Trial Employment one-pagers, DOL workshop schedules, job listings, etc.
Collect Job Search Activity Logs when job ready participants arrive at the meeting.
If they haven’t completed a log, meet with them after the meeting.

Welcome15minutes

(Note to Staff: at today’s meeting you are introducing meeting norms – rules of behavior we’d like participants to follow to ensure the meetings run smoothly and effectively.)

Ask each participant to introduce themselves, their host agency,and their job goal, AND
Ask each participant to read one item from the Meeting Norms & Etiquette handout and share what that item means to them.
Provide an extra “Welcome” to anyone new to the program.

A Bit about SCSEP 5 minutes

(Have fun with this – engage folks energetically or playfully in the Q & A.)

1. What is SCSEP?

A state and federally funded jobs training program
It’s designed to provide you with a transitional job while enrolled.

2. What does “SCSEP” stand for?

Senior Community Service Employment Program

3. Who administers the SCSEP program?

There are 15 organizations around the country that receive these federal funds
Associates for Training and Development is one of these 15

4. What’s the objective of the SCSEP program?

To help older workers receive training that will lead to employment

5. So what’s your goal as a SCSEP participant?

To receive training, find employment, and exit the program, hopefully within 9 – 12 months. Therefore . . .
You are expected to look for a job. This is a full time job in itself. Where should you look?
Online job boards and company websites
Newspapers
Word of mouth, business publications, etc.
Youmust give A4TD’s SCSEP staff details of your job search so they can follow up with prospective employment leads.

6. Besides the community service aspect of your training, how else can you help others who need SCSEP training?

We can only serve a fixed number of participants at a time.
So when you find a job and leave the program, you are allowing us to help someone new.

Introduction5 minutes

1. Work Success Isn’t Always Easy – Part 1

Usethis question (and the answer you will give later) to inspire participants to believe that work success is possible for them.
Pose the question; you’ll share the answer at the close of the meeting.

“This entrepreneur was once considered a failure. He was fired by a newspaper editor because ‘he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.’ After that he started a number of businesses that didn’t last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He kept plugging along, however, and eventually found a recipe for business success that worked.”

2. Something to Think About

Introduce the meeting’s topic by posing this question for participants to ponder. Invite them to mull this over.

What can you do to facilitate the process of applying for jobs online?

Tell them you’ll discuss answers when you get to the Job Readiness Skill component of the meeting.

We Celebrate you – Participant Success!5 minutes

Announce and congratulate any participants who completed an off-site training course/workshop or became “job ready” in March2016 – announce and handout certificates.
Invite Participants to share:
Somethinglearned at their Host Agency or at an off-site training workshop/class;
Any experience they had in being contacted or interviewed by an employer.

Following Up 10minutes

Last month our job search topic was Employability Skills. We talked about the difference between “hard skills” and “soft skills”- also known as employability skills – which are the personal traits and behaviors needed for success in any job.

Your “action” and follow up was as follows:
To write out six separate statements that you can say in an interview that showcase how you have the employability skills an employer is looking for. (These six will correspond to the six “essential employability skill categories” found in the resourcedocument“Employability Skills Employers Look For”.)
ASK:
Who will share one of their statements?

Employer Guest Speaker25 minutes

Job Search Skill Topic: Applying for Jobs Online
An employer speaker should discuss the job search skill topic in this month’s agenda, be knowledgeable of the job market, support an intergenerational workforce, and have current job openings.Presentation should be 15 minutes, followed by 10minutes of questions and answers.
Please send employer speaker information to Rick/Mary/Sean.

JobReadiness Skills – Applying for Jobs Online 35 minutes

In today’s technology age job seekers often have little choice but to apply for jobs online. At times this can be a frustrating experience but there are things one can do to enhance their likelihood of success, privacy and online safety.

Collaborative Discussion:

Ask participants: (10 minutes)

“What have you done – or can you do – to facilitate the process of applying for jobs online?”

Answers might include:

Make a list of your jobs and dates of employment;
Tailor your resume to the advertised job - including the use of key words – and format it so that you can copy and paste it into the online application;
Have a completed cover letter that can also be copied and pasted.

Review the Resource:

“Enhancing Success and Security when Applying for Jobs Online”(25 minutes)

Have different participants each read aloud an itemin this document.
After each item, lead the group in a discussion about that item.

Participant “action” and follow up for next month’s meeting:
Go to the job site GlassDoor.com and review its privacy policy to determine how you can control your personal information. This can be found at:
You can also review thehandout, “Privacy Statement” for CTHires.com”.
We will have you share your observations during next month’s meeting.

Employment Portfolio5 minutes

At an interview, components of your Employment Portfolio will:

Help you make a good first impression;
Present your best self and best work to an employer;
Demonstrate your professionalism and seriousness about the job hunt.

Which of these items in your Employment Portfolio might you bring to an interview:

Your resume (different versions)
Your cover letter (different versions)
Your references
Certificates you have earned
Lists of your community service and volunteer activities

If you do not have all of these documents, your Mature Worker Specialist will be in touch to schedule an appointment with you.

Jobs in the Area 10 minutes

Staff - Share job contacts/potential opportunities including contact information.
Please bring job listings that match our participants’ training tracks. Remember our participant focused model.
Encourage participants to apply because the opportunity matches participant’s job goal.
Participants - Share job contacts and opportunities they are aware of.

SCSEP Notes/ Q & A5 minutes

(Have fun with this – engage folks energetically or playfully in the Q & A.)

Must you use Direct Deposit for your paycheck?

While direct deposit isn’t mandatory, it is strongly encouraged. A participant who uses direct deposit will receive their money a day earlier.

Do you have to wear your A4TD name tag?

Yes! Please wear it when training and also while attending your Network to Work meeting.

What should you do if you are asked by your host agency to train during hours different from what was agreed upon when starting at your host agency?

Notify your Mature Worker Specialist asap. Remember, participants must only train 20 hours per week at their host agency.

Can you drive as part of your training assignment?

Are these Network to Work meetings mandatory?

Can you be excused from attending?

Yes, but only for medical or true emergency reasons, AND
Only by SCSEP
So please contact us in advance of the meeting

What activities must you avoid at your Host Agency?

Political activities
Drugs
Discrimination
Harassment

Have a problem? Where can you find the process for registering a complaint or grievance?

Your Orientation Handbook

Have you seen our Facebook page? Check it out and LIKE, SHARE and COMMENT on the content.

Workplace Safety Video 20 minutes

Topic: Bloodborne Pathogens Training

Website:

The goal of any worker is to minimize risk of injury and be aware of their surroundings. Please watch the following video and have participants relate it to their Host Agency training assignment. What did they learn?
Have participants sign the Attendance Verification Sheet and scan it into the private network after the meeting.
To Log In: Email Address - ; Password - 17892570

Just a Few More Things5 minutes

Should you be attending workshops at the Department of Labor?

Yes! They offer excellent job readiness workshops, and you are expected to attend them on a regular basis.
Please talk with SCSEP staff about your options.

Do these workshops count towards your 20 weekly training hours?

Where can you find Network to Work materials and other training materials created especially for you?

The Training Portal on the A4TD website –

Can you find job listings on the A4TD website?

Yes!
Tell everyone you know about our Job Board that is also located within the Training Portal of the A4TD website.
If you know of an employer who wants to put a job opening on this Job Board, have them call us or go directly to the Training Portal and click on the “Submit a Job” button on the Job Board page.

When are timesheets due?

By 4 p.m. on the 2nd Friday of a payroll cycle
BUT, if you train on Saturday, submit your timesheet on Saturday after work

Are you job ready?

If so, you are required to complete a monthly Job Search Activity Log.
Therefore, please turn in your completed Job Search Activity Log for March.
SCSEP staff will meet with you in the next few weeks to discuss your job search efforts and how we can assist you

The May meeting date is ______.

Discuss job search log content if time allows.

Got a question? Got a suggestion?

Please email us at ; we value your feedback!
How can the Associates for Training and Development staff help you?

Work Success Isn’t Always Easy – Part 21 minute

“This entrepreneur was once considered a failure. He was fired by a newspaper editor because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” After that he started a number of businesses that didn’t last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He kept plugging along, however, and eventually found a recipe for business success that worked.”

Walt Disney