W-2: Building Tomorrow's Workforce
| The following was prepared for publication in Wisconsin Counties magazine, under the byline of the Department of Workforce Development’s Executive Assistant, Connie Hagen. While much of it focuses on the role of counties in W-2, it also offers some general observations about the program which may be of interest to others. Counties also play a key role in the successes of W-2. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is granted. |
As Wisconsin marks the first anniversary of the Wisconsin Works (W-2) program Sept. 1, Wisconsin has ended the cycle of poverty that existed under the old Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, and has given many Wisconsin citizens a brighter future.
Although much work remains ahead, here are some of the program accomplishments of the last year.
The W-2 numbers tell a tangible story that speak favorably to the overall success of the program.
Caseload numbers are declining. Over the past year, there has been more than a two-thirds reduction in the number of families receiving cash assistance while learning to become independent through W-2.
Wisconsin taxpayers are saving money. Wisconsin taxpayers are reaping $41 million a month in cash assistance savings (as of April 1998) compared to January 1987 when Governor Tommy G. Thompson was first inaugurated.
Employers are hiring people ready to work. Wisconsin has a tight labor market, with the fourth lowest state unemployment rate in the nation. Employers believe, however, that with a larger skilled workforce they can create and fill the jobs they need to take their business to the next level. Wisconsin employers could hire 110,000 more workers right now to keep building Wisconsin’s economy.
Wisconsin faced a challenge in past years -- to reform welfare as people knew it and provide a brighter future for the low-income families who were able and willing to make a difference not only in their lives but also for their children and the state. The challenge is being met. Wisconsin’s low-income workforce was more than up for the challenge. People involved with implementing W-2 have heard time and again that W-2 participants want to work; they want to make a difference. The goal of W-2 is for participants to enter the workforce and move to self-sufficiency. As participants invest in themselves through job training workshops and practical job experiences, they ascend the employment ladder to future success in the program: No one disputes that education and training are key to developing a successful workforce. Many of today’s recruiters measure a company’s ability to attract the crème de la crème by how much the company invests in their employees and in research and development. People’s expectations are changing. Employers look for people with basic math and literacy skills as well as a positive attitude and the people skills that allow them to communicate effectively, work as part of a team and be dependable -- to name only a few attractive traits. Employers also seek technical abilities, or the basics on which they can train in-house. W-2’s training and education programs, while currently preparing participants to succeed in that reality, are preparing to do more. Signaling a renewed recognition of the important role of education and training in moving families to self-sufficiency, Governor Tommy G. Thompson created the W-2 Education and Training Committee (Committee). The Committee was formed to identify the flexibility and kinds of initiatives that can be included in W-2 to provide entry-level workforce training. The Committee involved legislators, educators, employers and community leaders to identify needs, create solutions and share best practices. It developed a series of creative recommendations to help W-2 participants not only find and retain jobs, but also move on to better jobs. The recommendations focus on building a better workforce and should also assist employers in better addressing the emerging labor shortage predicting in the near future. The Committee felt strongly that three things needed to occur. All people involved with and affected by the W-2 program need to:
Overcoming challenges
The rungs of employment success
Entering a new work world
Reinforcing the importance of education and training
Innovation requires change The same committee closely examined the education and training opportunities currently offered under W-2 in light of the needs of both participants and employers. It identified a number of specific measures along the following themes: W-2 providers are the people who make the program happen. They are the dedicated staff who work diligently to help W-2 participants become a success. The Department W-2 program management believe the providers have done an excellent job in the first year, and the Committee’s hope is that the second year will prove even more successful. Additional focus should be placed on expanding educational planning with W-2 participants. With a significant number of the W-2 population lacking a high school diploma (or equivalent), W-2 providers need to help participants see the value in education. Tomorrow should find "creative plagiarism" among W-2 providers. W-2 providers should share results of their best practices so that others can improve their efforts and minimize reinvention of the wheel. The first year of W-2 demonstrated how innovation and creativity can truly help people see a new approach for an old problem. That innovation must continue. W-2 providers will need to become even more proactive in resolving barriers facing W-2 participants and finding ways to deliver needed services. Just as W-2 participants need education and training to remain successful in their employment fields, so do W-2’s Financial and Employment Planners need training in new areas for long-term success in helping others help themselves. W-2 participants face barriers in climbing their ladder of success. Some of those barriers could be eliminated by changing the playing field. The Committee asked the Legislature to consider changes in some key areas of the program’s future. W-2 participants face challenges in accessing and managing child care. The Committee recommended that child care not stand in the way of self-sufficiency. It called for the elimination of the nine-month waiting period for child care subsidies for those parents who have moved from W-2 to the workforce and are involved in basic education. Keeping participants on the top rung can be made easier with continued commitment to advanced skills training, it added. Participants are more likely to experience success through the Employment Skills Advancement Program scholarships with quicker access to the program. The proposed change would lower the eligibility requirement from the current nine months to a new six months of unsubsidized work experience.
Specific changes recommended for W-2 providers
Specific changes asked of the Legislature
Coordination makes it happen Education and training provide the critical edge for success. As people gain a clearer understanding of the opportunities, it becomes possible to see how the opportunities can become realities for participants. Realities happen through tremendous coordination. Employer-based partnerships, which are initiatives by the W-2 agencies, include education and training providers and community based organizations and are necessary to deliver well-planned opportunities. People involved with W-2 know that even the best-planned opportunities require flexibility. Flexibility underlies W-2’s success. Local W-2 agencies are finding flexible solutions to meet multiple needs. The fact that counties seek to learn from each other and share "best practices" means that W-2 will move forward over the long-term. The success stories of W-2 agencies are numerous and diverse. Following is a brief summary of a successful local endeavors. The Tecumseh Products Company in Grafton represents an excellent model for forging a coordinated partnership to meet multiple needs. Tecumseh identified a need for quality operators and worked with various agencies to secure qualified employees. Tecumseh defined its training needs and worked with partners to meet those needs. Milwaukee Area Technical College developed and implemented the contract with Tecumseh and its local union. Opportunities Industrialization Center of Greater Milwaukee assisted with recruitment of trainees and transportation. Private Industry Council provided funding for the training initiative. Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership initiated and facilitated the program. Milwaukee Jobs Initiative provided funding, helped to recruit participants and monitored progress. Ozaukee County assisted with transportation. Central City Workers Center assisted with recruiting and transportation. Fourteen people were identified as trainees for the program. The training course lasted four weeks and provided job-specific training for entry-level positions. Course curriculum included blueprint reading, machine operation, machine inspection, shop match, tool recognition, work ethics and communication skills. Each enrollee completed the program, resulting in a 100% completion rate. Thirteen trainees were hired immediately. The workers were hired at $8.95 per hour plus regularly scheduled pay increases and health coverage after 30 days. Tecumseh Products Company’s commitment to short-term, job-specific training represents just one example of how coordinated efforts have made success happen for W-2 participants. Wisconsin’s innovative solution is about believing in people so that people believe in themselves. W-2 is about providing technical resources, human support and reality checks along the way so that when participants get jobs, they stay employed. Part of moving people into the workforce is supporting them when they get there. Too many low-income, single parents have not received support and encouragement and tend to under rate their worth. Wisconsin’s W-2 program helps people to see that they are a valuable commodity in today’s job market. Dedicated Financial and Employment Planners help W-2 participants identify existing job skills, build self-confidence, learn how to apply for a job and stay employed. It’s all about people like Leilani Duarte W-2 is all about the participants. The W-2 program is about helping people recognize their skills. It’s about caring people offering support, encouragement, and even a shoulder to cry on when needed. W-2 is about people. Leilani Duarte of Beaver Dam is one of the many W-2 success stories. She works at Lifestyle Staffing in Beaver Dam. Duarte underwent a personal change as a result of W-2 programs. Previously someone with low self-confidence and inclined to shy away from people, Duarte is now a self-assured individual who sits right out in front, greets people as they enter her work site and helps them through the employment process. In addition to working at Lifestyle Staffing, Duarte raises twin 11-year-old daughters and continues to balance the challenges of work and home. For Duarte, the most rewarding aspects of the W-2 program is that it works. The W-2 program gets people involved in their lives and requires them to take personal responsibility for their future. Even with her positive feelings about the program, Duarte notes that it wasn’t always easy. Transportation became one of her largest challenges in finding success. Although she had a vehicle, it was not the most dependable and the times when it was in the repair shop made it difficult to get to her work site. But she managed to find creative solutions and make it work for herself, her family and her employer. The best part of W-2, according to Duarte, is the people. W-2 staff aren’t passive. They are actively involved in the people, the programs and the creation of innovative solutions. Duarte noted that the staff gave her the encouragement she needed to believe in herself and her ability to become a working success story. Life doesn’t stop with W-2 success. Duarte hopes to grow with her current employer and continue to serve its needs while serving her own. Beyond work tasks, she also is looking to strengthen her computer skills and grow personally. Leilani Duarte is a success by any measure, regardless of her participation in W-2. W-2, however, is a success only because of the experiences and stories afforded by Leilani Duarte and the thousands of others like her. Creating a brighter future in Wisconsin means sharing success stories. Part of building successful programs is developing innovation from previous experience. The W-2 providers throughout the state continue to demonstrate how valuable their perspectives are to the statewide success of W-2. Here are some "best practices" identified by W-2 providers around the state. The examples are a mere sampling of the creative problem solving approach to building tomorrow’s workforce and strengthening employer/community partnerships. 24-hour placements Fond du Lac County relies on "Quantum Work Crews" to meet its participants’ needs. This approach models Wisconsin Conservation Corps. Participation is kept to a minimum so that individual attention may be provided to each person. The crew’s supervisor is a county employee and former welfare recipient. The supervisor’s responsibilities are to get trainees to and from each work site. At the work sites, crew workers undertake such tasks as washing windows, painting stairwells, trimming river banks and restoring historical plaques. People get to work, and their work makes a difference in the community. Through the Quantum Work Crew, Fond du Lac County is able to make Community Service Job placements within 24 hours. This program allows for W-2 participants to receive their first paycheck that much sooner and get them even closer to the top rung of the employment ladder. This approach not only benefits the work crew participants, but it helps the needier W-2 participants as well. By getting people into Community Service Jobs more quickly, W-2 Financial and Employment Planners are able to spend more time with needier participants and devote their energy to finding creative solutions to greater needs. The program is working. Two of every three participants land regular unsubsidized jobs within short timeframes. Fond du Lac County demonstrates how vision and innovation can make a difference for everyone involved with the W-2 program. Career Closet staff help job seekers look and feel their best. A statewide network of agencies provides people with clothing for success in today’s work world. Career Closet centers rely on donated clothing from the community, department store catalog overruns and Corp Care. Career Closet "shoppers" receive clothing for interviews and work with an added bonus of counseling and self esteem enhancement. The services are provided at no cost for low income job seekers. These partnerships go a long way to minimizing the barrier caused by work clothing expenses. Consider the following average work clothing costs: steel toed boots, $50; nursing shoes, $65; health care uniforms, $50; fast food uniforms, $35; and, a tool belt, $35. The Career Closets have a statewide network. Members include: The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and the Career Closet Network have established a "best practices guide" to assist interested agencies in opening their own career closet. For a copy of this manual, contact Joe Stafford of DWD at (608) 267-0610. The Cooperating Congregations of Greater Waukesha, a coalition of about 80 area churches, created a transitional employment project modeled after the restaurant business. The "Donut Shoppe" teaches low income people with little work history not only how to make donuts but also "soft skills" such as arriving to work on time, being groomed, relating to management and employees, and otherwise taking personal responsibility. The "Donut Shoppe" is on-the-job training that leaves participants able and qualified to find unsubsidized employment in the hospitality industry. Rumor has it, they bake delicious bread! One of the best ways to learn is to observe others and get answers to your questions. Mentoring provides those opportunities. Executives at such companies as Ameritech, Pinkerton, and Potawatomi Bingo, mentor former welfare recipients in their first jobs. These mentorships include constant training, counseling, motivation, and scheduling work shifts to accommodate the sometimes unpredictable lives of low-income individuals. The mentors focus on teaching practical organizational skills. They help participants understand the importance of arriving on time, foresee possible daycare breakthroughs, and read a bus schedule. Sometimes all it takes to succeed is having someone lead by example. If you would like to talk with someone about the Governor’s W-2 Education and Training Committee’s work or recommendations, contact Conor Smyth at (608) 261-6971. If you are interested in finding out more detail about W-2 programs, check out other sections of the Department of Workforce Development’s web site at: http://www.dwd.state.wi.us.
There are other successes, too.
Career Closet
"Time to Make the Donuts in Waukesha"
Mentoring for success
More information available