Transcript High-Quality Employment Services

High-Impact Employment Services to
Support Successful
Mixed Income Communities
MPC Forum on
Building Successful Mixed-Income Communities
Jobs, Training and Workforce Development
July 12, 2005
Davis Jenkins
Senior Fellow, Great Cities Institute
University of Illinois at Chicago
Tel: (312)996-8059
E-mail: [email protected]
Realities at the Low End of the
Labor Market
• Chronically unemployed individuals will cycle through
numerous jobs before becoming stably employed – often
need socialization to culture of work as a first step
• Work alone usually does not lead to job advancement for
low-wage workers; some job-connected training needed to
advance to jobs paying family-supporting wages
• Low-wage workers often have to change jobs, even
industries, to advance to family-supporting jobs
• High-impact employment services address both the
needs and circumstances of job seekers/workers and
the business needs of employers (e.g., recruitment,
retention)
High-Quality Employment Services
Full Menu of Services







Marketing and recruitment
Employment-related assessment and counseling
Job placement and retention support
Transitional jobs
Bridge training programs
Postsecondary education and training
Support services (housing, day care,
transportation, drug treatment, family counseling,
etc.)
High-Quality Employment Services
Industries with Job Opportunities for CHA Clients
 Employment agencies
 Non-profits
 Hospitals, long-term care and other health care
providers
 Retail
 Security
 Hotels, restaurants
 Manufacturing, transportation, and logistics
 City contractors (Section III)
High-Quality Employment Services
Stakeholder Education and Engagement






Public housing residents and clients
Business community (including developers)
City, state and federal agencies
Service Providers
Foundations
Press and the public
Suggestions for CHA
 Research employers’ human resource needs and
customize services accordingly
 Use transitional jobs to socialize hard-core
unemployed to culture of work
 Invest heavily in work readiness preparation prior to
placement and job coaching to promote retention
 Provide job-connected training at CHA sites
 Provide drug treatment and other services on-site
 Reach out to youth and men under 25
 Collect data on outcomes and use to improve
services