Script forWebinar 6

Welcome to webinar number 6 in the Promoting Employment for Homeless Veterans series of presentations, brought to you by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, the National Veterans’ Training Institute, or NVTI, and the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

The logic underlying this webinar is fairly simple: The more our clients possess skills that enable them to contribute to an employer’s success, the more likely it is that our clients will be hired, be paid well, and be able to take advantage of employment advancement opportunities.

It also addresses a paradox facing both job seekers and businesses.

On the one hand, our job-seeking clients are unable to find good jobs.

At the same time, employers who offer jobs with good pay, benefits, and prospects for advancement are unable to find job candidates with the necessary skills.

Job-driven training is a potential solution to this “people without jobs / jobs without people” dilemma.

For the next 25 minutes, we will be lookingat programs and resources that can close the skills gap affecting our clients and many businesses in our community, focusing on three (3) of the most common job-driven training approaches:

  • On-the-Job Training (OJT), which most of us are probably familiar with
  • Apprenticeships, an option that many of us may be less familiar with, and
  • Accelerated training, using the example of BootCamps

We will

  • Describe these three approaches in more detail
  • Explain why they benefit both our job seeking clients and local employers
  • Offer practical techniques and resources for Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialists (DVOPS) and other American Job Center and employment specialist staff who assist job seekers identify and select opportunities that best fit their interests and aptitudes, navigate the application process, and succeed in the programs and in the world of work.
  • Suggest ways that LVERs or employer outreach staff can discover job-driven training opportunities in the community and to assist employers explore the benefits and mechanics of launching or partnering with job-driven training programs.

As is the case with all of the webinars in this series, we’ve posted a variety of documents and links on the resource page for this webinar. We’ll preview these resources later in the webinar.You can access them by scrolling down the home page and clicking on View Homeless Veterans Resources, then scrolling down to Webinar Six.

First, let’s look at some definitions.

On-the-Job Training

In an On-the-Job Training or OJT arrangement an employer trains a paid participant who engages in productive paid work that assists the participant to master knowledge and ahrd and soft skills that are essential to the full and adequate performance of the job.

In some cases, our AJC can enter into an OJT agreement in which the employer is reimbursed for up to 50 percent of the wage rate of the participant, for extraordinary costs of providing the training, and for additional supervision of the trainee.

Also, in the OJT agreement, there is an understanding, whether written or implied, that the employer will hire the trainee upon successful completion of the training.

Apprenticeships

An Apprenticeship is a combination of on-the-job training and related instruction – often classroom—based - in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a highly skilled occupation. Apprenticeships take long to complete – many last four years – but the pay-off can be significant. Those who complete anRegistered Apprenticeships increase their annual wages by $7,000 on average.

Apprenticeship programs can be sponsored by individual employers, joint employer and labor groups, and/or employer associations.

Pre-Apprenticeship Training is designed to increase or upgrade specific academic, cognitive, or physical skills that will assist an individual to qualify for entry into a specific trade or occupation.

BootCamps

BootCamps are accelerated and short-term training programsdesigned to quickly provide participants with a marketable skill. The format is frequently used in the tech industry to teach software coding, but the same concept can be used to teach other occupational skills.

BootCamps designed around construction or manufacturing skills are typically offered by community colleges, technical colleges, or community—based organizations.

BootCamps often last between several weeks to several months. The training is intensive, often lasting seven or eight hours of learning per day, often for five days a week

BootCamps feature a low instructor to student ratio and emphasize practical, hands-on training on high-demand skills, with the goal of qualifying learners for good jobs.

Now let’s take a quick look at the seven principles underlying Job—Driven Training. We’ll closely quote Ready to Work: Job-Driven Training and American Opportunity, released by the White House in July of 2014.

These principles are also laid out in Training and Employment Guidance Letter Number 3-14, including Attachments A and B plus appendices, titled Implementing a Job-Driven Workforce System.

By the way, both of these documents provide examples of how workforce agencies, workforce intermediaries, and employers around the country are applying these principles.

Principle One, EngagingEmployers, involvesworking withemployers, industry associations, andlabor unionsearly in the processofdesigning education andjob training programs. Together, we are able to more accurately determine localor regional hiring needsand to design trainingprograms thatare responsive to those needs. This process builds backwards, from the employer to the training to the student. When you embrace this principle, you see both the client and the employer as your primary audiences. The goal is to equip individuals withskills thathaveahigh likelihoodofleading to employment. Programsshouldalso seek employercommitments to provide work-based learningopportunities to participants and tohire program graduates.

Principle Two, EarnandLearn, emphasizes the importance of developingwork-basedlearningopportunities, including on-the-jobtraining, paid internships, pre-apprenticeships, andRegistered Apprenticeships, astraining pathsto employment. While classroom-based learning can be important, individualsare more likely to master new skills when hands-onexperience inawork environmentisintegratedwithclassroom learning.

Principle Three, SmartChoices, highlights the importance of using labor market datawhen determining whatprograms should be offeredand whatskills shouldbe taught, when guiding jobseekersasthey choose what to studyandwhere they should apply forjobs. By following trends inregional, state,andnational labormarkets, you can more accurately anticipate thenumber and typesofjobsavailable andspecific jobcharacteristics,skills requirements, andcareeropportunities. Analyzing your local labor market information can help you make the direct connection between a veteran’s skills and available jobs. The gaps between skills and jobs drive your training decisions and inform your conversations with veterans about the employment plan.

Principle Four, MeasurementMatters, underlines the importance of measuring andevaluating employment andearningsoutcomes so that jobseekerscan choose appropriate training andprogramscan continuouslyimprove these outcomes. Measured outcomes quantify how training programs promote employee satisfaction, job retention, and career and earnings growth so veterans are more likely to stay employed, not come back through your door.

Principle Five, SteppingStones, stresses the importance of promotingaseamlessprogression from one educational or training stepping stone to another. When you talk to veterans about stepping stones in their career progression, you may be better able to have a realistic conversation about the first steps needed for job success that lead to a meaningful career.

Principle Six, Opening Doors, addresses the need to neutralize barriersthat stand between any American who iswilling andable to work and job-driven trainingandhiring. Opening doors may involve the provision of supportive servicessuch astransportation, childcare,and financialandbenefitscounseling. Programs also shouldprovide accommodationsfor personswith disabilities, and includesupportedemployment services, as appropriate.This is your opportunity to be an advocate for the veterans you serve, and to utilize community agencies that can fill gaps in accommodations expertise and supportive services.

Principle Seven, Regional Partnerships, emphasizes the importance of collaborationsamong all pieces of the puzzle: employers, potential employees, training and education providers, American JobCenters, higher education institutions,labororganizations, philanthropic organizations, state andlocal human service agencies, vocational rehabilitationagencies, Medicaidagencies,centers for independent living,supportedemploymentproviders, community-andfaith-basedorganizations, andother non-profitorganizations. These partnerships enable us to weave anetwork ofemployment, trainingandrelatedservicesthat enable our clients to overcome the barriersto becoming andstayingemployed, thereby ensuring that vulnerable populations can take full advantage of job-driven training programs.

Job-driven training approaches deliver a win-win for both our job—seeking clients and the employers we’re partnering with. Let’s look at Apprenticeships as an example:

Apprentices, for example, will enjoy:

  • Immediate employment usually with benefits while in training
  • Regular wage progression as skills increase
  • Supervised, structured on-the-job training that result in a marketable set of technical and work skills
  • Related classroom instruction which often carries college credit. Some apprenticeship programs pay for this instruction. Some states reduce tuition for apprenticeships, and eligible Veterans can use their GI Bill tuition benefits to cover costs
  • A nationally recognized credential they can take anywhere
  • Additional income through G.I. Bill benefits, to include the subsistence and housing allowances.

Employers who participate in apprenticeship programs enjoy:

  • A reliable supply of new competent and productive employees
  • A reliable way to ensure knowledge among experienced workers who may be nearing the age of retirement is transferred to younger workers thanks to a carefully documented and well-structured approach to on‐the‐job learning
  • Enhanced recruiting efforts and reduced turnover
  • More flexible workforce due to greater employee skills
  • Greater customer satisfaction resulting from quality workmanship, and
  • An emphasis on safety training that may reduce worker compensation costs

At first glance, many of the homeless clients we work with may seem like less than ideal candidates for these programs. However, as we emphasized in webinar 5, if we focus on an individual’sabilities and on what he or she is able to dorather than on what the client is unable to do, and we help he client assemble and utilize a network of supportive services, then their possibilities expand.

Second, any Veteran who successfully completed Basic Training or BootCamp, and their initial military occupation-related training, has demonstrated that he or she is are capable of mastering a great deal of information in a brief period of time.

Third, upgraded skill sets can offset many of the concerns employers may have about hiring our clients.

When promoting job-driven training among our clients, it’s important to understand the obstacles to successfully pursing trainingthat they may face:

  • If the training is not an “earn and learn” scheme such as an apprenticeship or on-the-job training program, clients may lack sufficient resources to support themselves during the training
  • Clients may be unaware of the training opportunities
  • They may be unfamiliar with the application process or prerequisites
  • Clients may not fully appreciate the return they will enjoy on their investment of time and effort by successfully completing the training program
  • The same issues that interfere with working – lack of reliable transportation and child care, for example – may interfere with their ability to attend and complete training
  • They may lack confidence in their ability to complete the training, or they may have an unrealistically optimistic understanding of what the program will require of them.
  • Clients may need to refresh or upgrade their math, reading or test taking skill that have become rusty

Here are some possible countermeasures to these obstacles.

First, we and our clients should learn as much as possibleabout the training, including the expectations of participants, the academic and/or technical skills participants will need to possess to succeed in the training, the application and selection process, and other logistical or administrative aspects of the program, including the length of the program, daily schedules, work and learning locations, and so on.

We may be able to find some of this information, especially for apprenticeships, online. More established programs will provide contact information, describe the application process, and provide a wealth of other information on their website.

Our employer outreach colleagues at our AJC may be able to conduct face-to-face research with members of Apprenticeship committees, with supervisors involved with OJT programs, and with community college staff who have insights into BootCamps or other accelerated programs. They may also be able to arrange for their contacts to provide informational briefings, presentations, or workshops at our AJC or at other employment program partner locations.

The goal at this stage is to develop a complete and accurate understanding of both the benefits our clients will enjoy by taking advantage of the training opportunity, and what’s required to successfully complete the program.

Second, we can identify the programs and resources that our clients may draw upon to increase their odds of success. Some examples:

  • Skills refresher programs, including
  • Credit and non-credit math, reading, computer skills, and other adult basic education courses
  • Pre-apprenticeship programs offered by community colleges or community-based organizations
  • On-line learning options, and
  • Self-study guides or manuals
  • Wrap-around assistance provided by members of our supportive services network, such as child care, transportation subsidies, benefits counseling, legal aid, and behavioral health
  • Financial aid sources, including GI Bill benefits or Pell Grants, if the employer does not pick up the entire cost of the related classroom instruction in an apprenticeship program, or if our client enrolls in a BootCamp training program or a refresher class at a community college or technical institution
  • Opportunities to gain work experience and acquire the skills that will impress an apprenticeship selection committee. For example, apprenticeship staff may be able to tell us about local volunteering opportunities that provide related experience, and may even list these online, and
  • Assistance customizing the client’s cover letter and resume, as well as his or her interview answers and skills, since applying for an apprenticeship is very similar to applying for a job

Third, we can meet one or more times with our clients to discuss the obstacles to qualifying and succeeding in a job-driven training program, as well as thestrengths, assets and resources they can draw upon to overcome those obstacles. These conversations inform our mutual employment planning processand guide how it is updated over time.

A side note: As is the case when we are attempting to build relationships with employers, it’s important that we do a consistent and effective job of matching clients with job-driven training opportunities. Apprenticeship selection committees, for example, will be eager to partner with any organization that reliably prepares and screens motivated candidates who are ready to take on the challenges of an apprenticeship.

If we are LVERs or employer outreach staff, there are two strategies we can follow to support the job-driven training initiatives.

First, we can canvass employers throughout our community to identify those currently offering job-driven training opportunities.

Since we play a key role in informing our AJC colleagues, including DVOPS and Employment Services staff, and other employment program partners who serve job-seeking clients directly, about these opportunities, here are several questions we should ask employers

  • How often do you accept applicants into the program?
  • How many applicants do you accept for each cohort?
  • Is there a waiting list, and if so, what’s a realistic waiting time for someone applying to the program now?
  • How do individuals apply for the program?
  • How can they get additional information about the program?
  • What academic or technical skills and work experience do you either require or recommend that participants possess?
  • Does the training provide an earn-and-learn element? If so (as will be the case with On the Job Training or Registered Apprenticeships), what are the typical pay rates participants will earn during the training phase?
  • If tuition or fees must be paid by the participant, is the apprenticeship program or training provider approved for GI Bill financial aid?

When discussing a BootCampor other external training program, either with employers or with the training provider, which might be a community college or a community-based organization, here are some issues to discuss:

  • Is successful completion of the program likely to lead to a job offer?
  • Is the training program closely aligned with employers’ needs?
  • Do employersparticipate in delivering at least part of the training?
  • Did the employer provide input when the curriculum was being developed?
  • Does the training lead to an employer- and nationally-recognized certification?

The second strategy we can pursue involves educating employers or employer groups about job-driven training options. We should stress the benefits of creating, joining, or supporting a job-driven training, as well as the details of establishing a Registered Apprenticeship or an OJT program.

We can also connect them with people, programs, and information sources that can support their efforts to establish their own in-house program, or to join, collaborate with, or co-sponsor existing programs, such as BootCamp courses offered at a nearby community college.

Now let’s take a quick look at the information and resources available on this webinar’s resource page.

For a comprehensive overview of the job-driven training concept, including a look at the dozens of federal programs that can contribute to this initiative, download Ready to Work: Job-Driven Training and American Opportunity. For a briefer introduction to share with colleagues, download Ready to Work: New Actions to Expand Job-Driven Training and Broaden the Pathway to the Middle Class.