Transitional Jobs and TANF Helping states meet work participation requirements and helping workers s

1
Transitional Jobs and TANFHelping states meet
work participation requirements and helping
workers succeed

www.transitionaljobs.net
2
Transitional Jobs and TANF

• Transitional Jobs (TJ) is a proven workforce
  solution to help states meet TANF requirements
  while providing hard-to-employ TANF parents with
  experiential, on-the-job development, to learn
  how to succeed in work.

3
What is Transitional Jobs?

• Transitional Jobs (TJ) is a workforce strategy
  designed to overcome employment obstacles by
  using
• time-limited, wage-paying jobs that combine real
  work, skill development, and supportive services,
  
• to transition participants successfully into the
  labor market.
• TJ program participants should not displace
  workers in the for-profit or nonprofit sectors.

4
History Of Transitional Jobs

• 1970s
• Public Service Employment Program - created
  150,000 transitional jobs for unemployed favoring
  veterans, those with little or no job training,
  and unskilled youth.
• CETA programs that created subsidized jobs in
  public and nonprofit sectors.
• National Supported Work Demonstration provided
  individuals with severe employment problems with
  work experience of a year or so, under close
  supervision and gradually increasing demands.
• 1990s Welfare to Work Program many states and
  cities launched Transitional Jobs programs
  serving long-term welfare recipients
• 2000s Prisoner Reentry states and cities began
  piloting transitional jobs programs for people
  coming out of prison with great success

5
Transitional Jobs Program Elements

• Orientation Assessment
• Job Readiness/Life Skills Classes
• Case Management Support
• Transitional Job - Real Work Experience
• Unsubsidized Job Placement Retention
• Linkages to Education and Training

6
Transitional Job Detail

• Goal is to provide real work experience
• supported with wages
• Time limited Lasts 3-9 months (typically 3-4
  months)
• Subsidized jobs in a non-profit, for profit,
  and/or government setting
• Work 20-35 hours per week
• Wage is usually state or Federal minimum wage
• There is weekly review of job performance reports
• Support to manage barriers

7
Transitional Job Detail, Continued

• As paid employees, TJ participants are subject
  to
• Minimum wage and other Fair Labor Standards Act
  protections
• Pay into the Social Security System, thus
  building quarters of work needed for future
  eligibility
• Qualify potentially for EITC, Child Tax Credit,
  the new Making Work Pay Tax Credit
• Qualify potentially for Unemployment Insurance

8
Transitional Jobs Program Structures

• Scattered Site Participants work in for-profit,
  non-profit or government sites with 1-2 workers
  per site.
• Work Crew Crews of 5-7 people work on a project
  often within maintenance, janitorial, parks, and
  community renewal projects.
• Social Enterprise Participants work as an
  employee of the product or service revenue
  generating arm of an organization.

9
How TJ Works for Hard-to-Employ TANF Recipients
Reinforces soft skills to increase job retention
Builds confidence with success for paid work
Coordinates linkages to community supports (e.g.
child care)
Transitional Jobs
Pays wages, Social Security, income taxes and
makes eligible for EITC
Strengthens job placement with an employer
reference
10
Budgeting for Transitional Jobs programs

• Program costs range from 6-10,000 reflecting
• Wages for the Transitional Job (Min. wage x 30
  hours)x(targeted weeks, typically 12-24 weeks)
• Staff costs (salary, fringe, office rent,
  transportation, phones, computers) for TJ site
  development, case management, job readiness
  training and placement, retention services
• Supportive services (transportation, tools, work
  clothes, counseling, financial literacy, GED)
  and
• Any incentive payments (retention, TJ worksite
  mentor).

11
Return on Investment

• People who have never worked or who have little
  work experience become gainfully and successfully
  employed, decreasing reliance on public
  assistance and increasing family stability.
• It is estimated that for public assistance
  recipients in New York, a 17 million investment
  in TJ will result in state/local cost savings of
  60 million. Fiscal Policy Institute, 2008
• TJ programs are also stimulative, providing
  much-needed earned income that stimulates
  communities by getting money to low-income people
  who spend it rapidly to meet their basic needs.

12
State Example Washington

• Community Jobs (CJ) Program began in 1997.
• Administered by the Dept. of Community, Trade and
  Economic Development (CTED).
• CTED contracts with 17 sites, with 19
  subcontractors in counties across the state .
• An average of 2,400 TANF recipients enroll in CJ
  per year, and they expect to serve 3,000 this
  year.

13
Washington TJ success

• Community Jobs Program moves people from welfare
  to a career track.
• When they move into unsubsidized work,
  participants are earning around 9.00 per hour.
• Average income of post-CJ workers increased 60
  during first two years in workforce. Economic
  Opportunity Institute, April 2002
• Participants income was 148 higher than their
  pre-CJ income. Economic Opportunity Institute,
  April 2002

14
Resources to help start TANF TJ programs

• A number of resources are posted at
  www.transitionaljobs.net including
• Washington State Community Jobs A Case Example
  of Statewide Transitional Jobs Efforts Serving
  TANF Recipients
• TANF Transitional Jobs Program Scope of Work.
• Transitional Jobs Program RFP Example
• Applicant Scoring Guide Based Upon the RFP
  Requirements
• Performance Payment Schedule Example
• Transitional Jobs Quality Assessment Tool
• Transitional Jobs Program Cost Estimation Table

15
National Transitional Jobs Network (NTJN)

• The NTJN exists to influence audiences to ensure
  that policies account for the hard-to-employ,
  that the public understands the need to invest in
  these services, that programs are able to
  effectively serve as many individuals as
  possible, and that best practices and technical
  assistance are widely shared and implemented
  throughout the network.
• Technical Assistance
• State and Federal Advocacy
• Monthly Newsletters
• National Conference

16
National Transitional Jobs Network, Continued

• The NTJN is made possible through the support of
  The Joyce Foundation, The Annie E. Casey
  Foundation, The Mott Foundation and Network
  members.
• Heartland Alliance in Chicago, IL has hosted the
  NTJN since 2003.
• More information can be found at
  www.transitionaljobs.net