OneStop Career Centers: What Are They How Can They Be a Resource to the People I Work With

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One-Stop Career CentersWhat Are They?How Can
They Be a Resource to the People I Work With?

• David HoffAssociate Director Metro North
  Regional Employment Board 125 Cambridge Park
  Drive Cambridge MA 02140 617-864-1524
  dhoff_at_mnreb.org

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One-Stop Background

• One-Stop Career Centers begin as demonstration
  projects in MA in mid-1990s
• Workforce Investment Act (WIA) passed in 1998
• Replaces Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)
• Makes One-Stops permanent
• One-Stops to be located in every major population
  area of country
• Rehabilitation Act included as separate title in
  WIA

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The Vision of WIA

• States communities integrate multiple workforce
  development programs resources for individuals
  at the street level through
• Simplify expand access to services for job
  seekers employers

A USER FRIENDLYONE-STOP DELIVERY SYSTEM
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The Structure of WIA Services

• Federal Agency United States Department of Labor
  (USDOL)
• State Workforce Investment Boards (SWIBs)
• Local Workforce Investment Boards (LWIBs)
• Local fiscal conduit
• Appoints One-Stop Operator
• Each LWIB is its own entity
• Many are private non-profits (all in MA)
• Others are arms of public agencies
• Partnerships at each level
• Majority of boards must be employers

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One-Stops In MA

• 16 Workforce Investment Boards
• 36 One-Stop Career Center Locations
• Career Centers go by a variety of names
• Career Centers vary in the types of services they
  offer and how they operate
• Information, locations, links to individual
  One-Stop websites www.detma.org/WSCareercenters.h
  tm

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To Help Confuse Matters,WIA Is Not JustThe Name
Of The Law

• It also refers toa funding stream forAdults,
  Dislocated Workersand Youth

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Required One-Stop Partners

• WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth Activities
• Employment Service (Wagner-Peyser)
• Adult Education
• Post-secondary Vocational Education
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Title V of Older Americans Act
• Trade Adjustment Assistance
• NAFTA Transitional Adjustment Assistance
• Veterans Employment Training Programs
• Community Services Block Grant
• HUD Administered Employment Training Programs
• Unemployment Insurance

Additional non-mandated partners are permitted
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ITS NOT A ONE-STOP UNLESS THERE ARE PARTNERS

• One-Stops should not be thought of as an agency
  they are a structure within which various
  partners, programs and funding streams operate
• One-Stops rely on a wide array of funding streams
• Staff at One-Stops may work for a variety of
  organizations

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3 TIERS OF SERVICES

• Core Services available to everyone at no
  charge
• Intensive For individuals who are unable to
  successfully obtain employment through core
  services
• More customized to needs of individuals
• Must meet eligibility criteria
• Wide variety of funding streams
• Training For individuals who are unable to
  successfully obtain employment through core
  intensive services
• Must meet eligibility criteria
• Typically funded by WIA Adult Dislocated Worker
  Funds

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Major Funding for Capacity Building in One-Stop
System

• USDOL Office of Disability Employment Policy
  Customized Employment Initiative
• Currently funding 20 Local Workforce Investment
  Boards nationwide (one in MA)
• Began in FY 2002 five year projects
• Total funding commitment through 2008 -59
  million
• Additional related projects
• USDOL Employment Training Administration Work
  Incentive Grants
• 87 projects funded since FY 2001 (two in MA)
• Total funding commitment through 2005 -53
  million
• SSA Disability Navigator Program

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Disability CommunityBenefits from Using
One-Stops

• Job leads
• Enhanced labor market knowledge
• Stronger employer relationships
• Access to training programs
• Access to VR and other partners
• Access to computers, technology, internet
• Computerized assessments, data bases, etc.
• Job seeking and other workshops
• Assistance with transition
• Exposure to integrated settings
• Expansion of resources

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Disability Organizations Examples of One-Stop
Relationships

• Basic level use of core services by job
  developer and job seeker
• Accessing training and other services to meet a
  consumer need
• Co-teaching of workshops
• Use of One-Stop space for individual and group
  activities
• Consultation on disability issues
• Collaborative service delivery
• Possibly under Ticket-to-Work
• Becoming a vendor for WIA and other funds

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Disability Organizations More Examples of
One-Stop Relationships

• Agency desk within a One-Stop
• Coordinated job development with other
  organizations
• Serving on One-Stop disability advisory groups
• Using One-Stop to meet agency employment needs
• Special projects
• One-Stop partner

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Type of Agency - One-Stop Relationships

• Informal to formal
• Ranges from community goodwill, in-kind, to
  requiring payment (e.g., for use of desk)
• Need for formal agreements will vary depending on
  local requirements
• Parameters may be contained in state and local
  plans MOUs
• Check with Center Director LWIB
• Remember everyone is entitled to core services
  at no charge

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Why Do You Want to Workwith a One-Stop?

• What benefits will working with aOne-Stop bring?
• What do you want?
• Services? Resources? Money? Job leads? Referrals?
• What do you bringto the table?

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The Bottom Line of PartnershipCustomer Service

• How can working with a One-Stop help you better
  meet your consumer needs?
• Will working with a One-Stop allow you to serve
  your existing customers better?
• Will working with a One-Stop allow you to serve
  more customers?

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In working with One-Stop Career Centers remember

• System is designed to work with high volume of
  customers
• First 8 months of FY 04, two Career Centers in
  Metro North saw 16,000 customers
• Small percentage of customers are eligible for
  intensive and training services
• Many services (particularly core) are fairly
  self-directed
• Understand what One-Stops areand are not

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Getting Started

• Visit your local One-Stop
• Start using services on an informal basis
• Learn about your local system
• Set up meetings with decision-makers
• Look for opportunities to collaborate

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Who should I contact?

• Local workforce investment board
• Generally, work with the board staff, not the
  board members
• Is becoming active on the board worthwhile?
• One-Stop Directors, Staff

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Resources

• National Center on Workforce Disability/Adult
  www.onestops.info 1-888-886-9898
• Institute for Community Inclusion
  www.communityinclusion.org
• Americas Service Locator www.servicelocator.org
  - 1-877-US-2JOBS
• National Association of Workforce Boards
  www.nawb.org - 202-775-0960
• USDOL Office of Disability Employment Policy -
  http//www.dol.gov/odep/welcome.html
• USDOL Employment Training Administration
  DisAbility Online - http//wdsc.doleta.gov/disabi
  lity

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I am a firm believer that relationships count
more than institutions. Its because you know
someone that you start to care about their
issues.

• Lenny Zakim