| An online magazine dedicated to sharing best practices and providing in-depth coverage of issues and trends affecting the Washington State community and technical college system. |
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| August 2006 Edition 8 |
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WorkFirst: Education and training create opportunities for parents to succeed |
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Main Story |
If you saw Brandee Robinson teach a life skills class or provide sign language interpretation for students, you would never know she struggled as a teenager, served time in jail, and became a single mother at the age of 23. Add to those hurdles a severe hearing impairment and little to no work experience, it’s clear Brandee Robinson has come a long way. Robinson represents just one of 225,000 parents who have found jobs through WorkFirst, Washington state’s welfare reform program, since it began in 1997. Based on the 1996 federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) legislation, WorkFirst receives the bulk of its funding through the US Department of Health and Human Services. The program’s goal is to help parents get on the road to self-sufficiency – to “get a job, a better job, a better life.” But to do this, many adults have to overcome barriers, such as learning the English language or gaining technical skills. “Education provides low-income adults a pathway to higher-wage employment,” said Charlie Earl, SBCTC executive director. “Research clearly shows adults who reach the ‘tipping point’ of at least one-year of college, plus a credential, are more likely to earn a living wage for themselves and their families.” This research played a key role as WorkFirst underwent an extensive re-examination in 2005 to address a nearly $50 million budget shortfall. Out of that process, two major strategies affecting the two-year colleges were expanded and adopted in June 2006. Now, WorkFirst parents receive a comprehensive evaluation of their educational background and work skills. And, they have more education and training opportunities available to help them earn a living wage that will support their families. “In the past, Washington’s WorkFirst program used the labor market as the place to test whether or not a parent was ready to go to work,” stated Kelly Lindseth, planning liaison for the Office of Financial Management’s WorkFirst performance team. “The new comprehensive evaluation builds a strengths-based employment plan reflective of the best activities to help parents be successful in the WorkFirst program.” Creating opportunities for greater collaboration between parents and partnersWorkFirst relies on the partnership of four state agencies – the Department of Social and Health Services, Community, Trade and Economic Development, Employment Security, and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges – each working in concert with their local community partners. But in order to navigate the route to success, WorkFirst parents needed a better roadmap. Now each agency, drawing on its area of expertise, contributes to an assessment to help develop recommendations for a parent’s participation in the WorkFirst program. The information collected is shared with the parent and partners to ensure the recommended employment pathway is the best one for the parent. For the two-year colleges, the comprehensive evaluation will provide more appropriate referrals for education and job training, and improve job placements and higher wages, explained SBCTC WorkFirst Program Administrator Amy Hatfield. The challenge will be to blend a parent’s need for immediate employment, with their short- and long-term educational needs, she said. The new process also requires all TANF parents be involved in their recommendation plans from the beginning. “Not only does this create a dynamic process in which to engage the parent, it also gives them voice to express their needs and goals towards self-sufficiency,” said Ha Nguyen, WorkFirst coordinator at Renton Technical College. The new process is applauded by Diane Klontz, program manager for CTED’s Community Jobs program, which successfully introduced Brandee Robinson to her job as an instructor. The Community Jobs program assists the “hardest to serve” population – those who are not successful in job search or education programs – by helping them deal with barriers, such as criminal history, medical issues or family dynamics. “The comprehensive evaluation opens up additional pathways for parents by identifying barriers and getting them matched appropriately,” Klontz said. “That’s where we fall in…we’re so excited about this change because it really enforces the reasons we do what we do.” Expanding opportunities for basic skills and job skills trainingEvgeny (last name omitted to protect privacy) came to the WorkFirst English as a Second Language/Customer Service Training program at Bellevue Community College in September 2005 with years of experience in both the private and government marine industry in Russia. His goal was to increase his English language skills, learn computer basics and return to the work he was trained to do. Less than a year later, Evgeny was offered a full-time position as a marine mechanic with a Seattle-based cruise company. He now earns $17 per hour and is excited about what the future holds for him and his family. Evgeny’s story is not unique. The number of WorkFirst parents referred to two-year colleges to brush up on their English language and basic skills is on the rise. This creates a challenge because in the eyes of the federal government, stand-alone English language and basic skills classes don’t qualify as job training. A new federal requirement mandates all educational options be directly related to employment to qualify as an authorized activity under TANF. “Our colleges will need to shift toward employment-related activities in order to serve WorkFirst parents,” explained the State Board’s Hatfield. “The federal requirement for vocational education comes at a time when the state is experiencing a growing number of parents who need basic skills and English language education. Colleges will need to find ways to do both.” The good news is Washington is ahead of the curve nationally, as the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) model offered by two-year colleges has proven both successful and efficient. I-BEST pairs adult basic education (ABE) or English as a Second Language (ESL) with vocational training so students can learn literacy and job skills at the same time. “Our property maintenance program integrates skills training and ESL under the I-BEST model,” explained Renton’s Nguyen. “Our successful graduates are able to attain jobs at a high rate and are compensated well, including having access to growth opportunities in the field.” For WorkFirst parents, I-BEST represents a viable “work-related” option to meet their TANF requirements. For employers, it means having the skilled workers they need to stay competitive. And it seems to work. According to the SBCTC, students in I-BEST programs are 15 times more likely to complete workforce training than traditional ESL students. While I-BEST is successful, it is still small in scale. Colleges will struggle to expand courses to serve the growing number of WorkFirst parents who need them. I-BEST adds another layer of education and training options available through the two-year colleges that qualify as work requirements under WorkFirst. This is in addition to Customized Job Skills Training and High Wage/High Demand Training previously available to parents. Measuring success…one parent at a timeWorkFirst participates in the governor’s new accountability system, Government Management Accountability and Performance (GMAP). The GMAP process spotlights the performance of individual colleges’ WorkFirst programs, and the system as a whole. “The college system performance should increase as a result of the new changes,” said the State Board’s Hatfield. “Our system priorities are focused on students most underserved by higher education and finding new ways to meet their needs.” Programs like I-BEST and the pilot Opportunity Grant program to be offered in the fall by community and technical colleges will also provide critical next steps toward launching low-income adults into higher education and higher wage employment opportunities, she added. “Meeting parents where they are, and providing them what they need, gives them the greatest chance for becoming self-sufficient,” explained Darlene Molsen, director of workforce development at Bellevue Community College. “When the parent is successful, the program is successful. And each agency plays a role in that success.” The challenge will be to ensure each partner – from frontline staff to agency leads – is well-informed of the educational and training opportunities available to parents, she explained. “It is also an opportunity to educate the public of the benefits of education and training in the world of work, and how they relate to short- and long-term employment opportunities,” Molson stated. This success requires colleges to have the resources they need to serve parents effectively. For Bellevue Community College and Renton Technical College, it meant shifting resources and hiring new staff. And each has provided assistance to other local two-year colleges by sharing staff resources and developing best practices for the future. “Unfortunately, the cost is what we’re seeing right now,” said Renton’s Nyugen. “We’re eagerly waiting to see the benefits in the future.” And, she said she truly believes the benefits will come in the form of measured results. Results showing parents are going through training programs, getting good paying jobs and leaving the WorkFirst program – permanently.
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