Training: On-Site, Conferences, Webinars
Customized to Your Needs
Jodie Sue Kelly and Max Elsman have trained more than 220,000 US workforce development and welfare-to-work professionals since 1984.
Below are brief descriptions of our most requested workforce development workshop topics. If you don't see what you are looking for, call us. We can create a session just for you or maybe just didn't add it to the website. Cygnet specializes in staff training that improves program performance. Training is customized for your local needs and situations. Tell us what problem you are trying to solve and we will put together an agenda. We don't do "off the shelf" training. We customize every session that we do for the needs of that audience. Decide what you need and call or email us to prepare a customized agenda.
Below are brief descriptions of our most requested workforce development workshop topics. If you don't see what you are looking for, call us. We can create a session just for you or maybe just didn't add it to the website. Cygnet specializes in staff training that improves program performance. Training is customized for your local needs and situations. Tell us what problem you are trying to solve and we will put together an agenda. We don't do "off the shelf" training. We customize every session that we do for the needs of that audience. Decide what you need and call or email us to prepare a customized agenda.
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TANF
Mix and Match Content Based on Your Needs:
Orientation and Intake:
Building motivation, engagement and participation begins from the first interaction that program staff have with the applicant. Often the upfront process is built from a perspective of program requirements and services rather than from the perspective of engaging the client. Too often the introduction to the program is walking through a series of power point slides with limited opportunity for attendee interaction. Orientation is simultaneously too much information and not enough information. This segment will cover how to build an engaging, upfront orientation and process that builds the enthusiasm of the attendees so they want to continue.
How to Demonstrate that Work Pays:
Programs who enroll TANF clients often times struggle with participants who are afraid to leave the security of cash assistance and food stamps. Participants often mistakenly believe the safety net of TANF is a wiser financial decision than working. This session will provide the tools and arguments that staff needs to help demonstrate that work does pay.
Suitability determination:
Determining who is suitable for a training program is a challenge. Programs need to select participants who are not only eligible but are also motivated to partake in the services, to get a job, and stay on the job. Programs are often under pressure to increase enrollments and so enroll individuals who are not well suited to the service often spend inordinate amounts of time trying to re-engage disengaged participants. A well designed suitability system should be consistent, fair, objective and lead to better enrollments. This segment will outline the components of a well-designed suitability system and will provide initial tools for the program to adapt.
Triage:
Clients enter programs with differing levels of motivation and challenges to completion. Some need frequent coaching and case management to successfully complete. Others need much less. The majority of programs set up schedules for case management – from once a week to once a quarter. As caseload size increases, it is difficult for a case manager to maintain the same level of interaction with all students. There simply are not enough hours in the day to maintain a consistent level of interaction with every client. One size does not fit all. This training segment will cover a systematic approach for dividing the caseload into groups: those who need the most interaction, those who need the standard level of interaction and those who need the least.
Re-Engagement:
No matter what a program does, no matter how great the services and staff are, all programs will lose clients. That is a certainty. Program staff tries to re-engage the clients by phoning them, sending post cards and letters as well as occasionally doing home visits. This segment will cover the most important components to re-engaging the dis-engaged participants.
Building Self-Esteem:
Many participants in workforce development programs suffer from low self-esteem which is one of the six major elements of motivation. Self-esteem can result in poor training performance, failing to a get a job, and a lack of growth in a job. People with low self-esteem often blame others for things that happen and thus become victims to external circumstances. At this training, you will learn specific techniques to build positive self-image, how to get participants to accept responsibility for the choices that they make and how to help clients take control.
Post-Training/Pre-Placement Fall Off:
One of the biggest fall offs from participation is once students finish training. Yet, it is one of the most important points for program success. Students need to get jobs. This segment will provide strategies for maintaining the active engagement of clients during their job search.
Teaching Job Retention Skills:
Occupational skill training provides a credential which can open the door to new employment opportunities. Yet, unless the job seeker knows to keep a job, the likelihood that he/she will be successful at work is minimal. Maintaining and moving up on a job requires a set of skills and attitudes that often are not found in high risk populations. This segment will cover the benefits of teaching job retention and advancement skills, how to select topics and provide examples of engaging, motivational methods of teaching job retention both in the classroom and one on one.
Motivation and Participation:
Keeping clients engaged over the long haul is crucial to any program’s success. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to motivate “hard to serve” participants and to prevent them from dropping out of a program. Some may have feel coerced, their spirits may be low. Other participants enter the program with low self-esteem. Clearly these are not ideal conditions for a positive learning environment. Programs can bolster a participant’s enthusiasm fairly quickly. This segment will focus on the six keys to maintaining motivation and will provide examples that can be used in the program by staff.
Selling Post Placement Services:
The program works best when clients want post-placement service and understand its value. It is far easier to stay in touch with customers placed in jobs when they are eager to talk to staff members about their work. Therefore, staff members must convince participants that post placement is integral to success. But after they get a job, many clients treat the program as if the program is over. This segment will teach staff how to give post placement value so participants are more likely to stay engaged during the follow-up period.
Maintaining Motivation through Post Placement, Job Retention and Advancement:
A key challenge facing TANF programs is helping low-income workers sustain and advance in the workforce. Programs work diligently to help participants find jobs. Yet many people they serve do not earn enough to rise from poverty. Tailoring post placement services to strive for advancement and income improvement has many advantages. This segment will focus on how to write a motivating post placement plan with working participants and how to coach clients for career advancement.
Return to Workshop Index
Orientation and Intake:
Building motivation, engagement and participation begins from the first interaction that program staff have with the applicant. Often the upfront process is built from a perspective of program requirements and services rather than from the perspective of engaging the client. Too often the introduction to the program is walking through a series of power point slides with limited opportunity for attendee interaction. Orientation is simultaneously too much information and not enough information. This segment will cover how to build an engaging, upfront orientation and process that builds the enthusiasm of the attendees so they want to continue.
How to Demonstrate that Work Pays:
Programs who enroll TANF clients often times struggle with participants who are afraid to leave the security of cash assistance and food stamps. Participants often mistakenly believe the safety net of TANF is a wiser financial decision than working. This session will provide the tools and arguments that staff needs to help demonstrate that work does pay.
Suitability determination:
Determining who is suitable for a training program is a challenge. Programs need to select participants who are not only eligible but are also motivated to partake in the services, to get a job, and stay on the job. Programs are often under pressure to increase enrollments and so enroll individuals who are not well suited to the service often spend inordinate amounts of time trying to re-engage disengaged participants. A well designed suitability system should be consistent, fair, objective and lead to better enrollments. This segment will outline the components of a well-designed suitability system and will provide initial tools for the program to adapt.
Triage:
Clients enter programs with differing levels of motivation and challenges to completion. Some need frequent coaching and case management to successfully complete. Others need much less. The majority of programs set up schedules for case management – from once a week to once a quarter. As caseload size increases, it is difficult for a case manager to maintain the same level of interaction with all students. There simply are not enough hours in the day to maintain a consistent level of interaction with every client. One size does not fit all. This training segment will cover a systematic approach for dividing the caseload into groups: those who need the most interaction, those who need the standard level of interaction and those who need the least.
Re-Engagement:
No matter what a program does, no matter how great the services and staff are, all programs will lose clients. That is a certainty. Program staff tries to re-engage the clients by phoning them, sending post cards and letters as well as occasionally doing home visits. This segment will cover the most important components to re-engaging the dis-engaged participants.
Building Self-Esteem:
Many participants in workforce development programs suffer from low self-esteem which is one of the six major elements of motivation. Self-esteem can result in poor training performance, failing to a get a job, and a lack of growth in a job. People with low self-esteem often blame others for things that happen and thus become victims to external circumstances. At this training, you will learn specific techniques to build positive self-image, how to get participants to accept responsibility for the choices that they make and how to help clients take control.
Post-Training/Pre-Placement Fall Off:
One of the biggest fall offs from participation is once students finish training. Yet, it is one of the most important points for program success. Students need to get jobs. This segment will provide strategies for maintaining the active engagement of clients during their job search.
Teaching Job Retention Skills:
Occupational skill training provides a credential which can open the door to new employment opportunities. Yet, unless the job seeker knows to keep a job, the likelihood that he/she will be successful at work is minimal. Maintaining and moving up on a job requires a set of skills and attitudes that often are not found in high risk populations. This segment will cover the benefits of teaching job retention and advancement skills, how to select topics and provide examples of engaging, motivational methods of teaching job retention both in the classroom and one on one.
Motivation and Participation:
Keeping clients engaged over the long haul is crucial to any program’s success. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to motivate “hard to serve” participants and to prevent them from dropping out of a program. Some may have feel coerced, their spirits may be low. Other participants enter the program with low self-esteem. Clearly these are not ideal conditions for a positive learning environment. Programs can bolster a participant’s enthusiasm fairly quickly. This segment will focus on the six keys to maintaining motivation and will provide examples that can be used in the program by staff.
Selling Post Placement Services:
The program works best when clients want post-placement service and understand its value. It is far easier to stay in touch with customers placed in jobs when they are eager to talk to staff members about their work. Therefore, staff members must convince participants that post placement is integral to success. But after they get a job, many clients treat the program as if the program is over. This segment will teach staff how to give post placement value so participants are more likely to stay engaged during the follow-up period.
Maintaining Motivation through Post Placement, Job Retention and Advancement:
A key challenge facing TANF programs is helping low-income workers sustain and advance in the workforce. Programs work diligently to help participants find jobs. Yet many people they serve do not earn enough to rise from poverty. Tailoring post placement services to strive for advancement and income improvement has many advantages. This segment will focus on how to write a motivating post placement plan with working participants and how to coach clients for career advancement.
Return to Workshop Index
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One Stop Services
Mix and Match Content Based on Your Needs:
Marketing One-Stop Career Centers:
This workshop is designed to show you how to substantially increase traffic through your one stop – both from employers as well as job seekers. You will learn how to develop and implement a successful, low-cost promotion plan. You’ll get specific suggestions about which kinds of marketing activities to do, how, what and when to advertise. You will construct a promotional plan and several promotional pieces.
Recruiting Customers for Workforce Development Programs:
This immensely popular workshop has been attended by more than 9,000 social services professionals. Attenders discover dozens of practical, low-cost and simple tactics to recruit plenty of clients to education, social services or job training programs. You will learn advertising do’s and don’ts, how to develop effective advertising messages, techniques for successful networking and how to get the client through the intake process – a crucial point since most job training agencies lose over half of their recruits during the various phases of intake.
Developing and Sell One-Stop "Intensive" Services:
Many customers want to jump from core services to education and training when they enter the one stop. They see no value in the intensive service component. Yet serving more in intensive services reduces cost, increases the umber of people who can obtain a service and can increase performance. But often times staff aren't adept at selling and providing intensive level services. This session will cover a host of services that can be provided at the intensive level, have value to the customer, to the system and to employers. You will learn how to effectively market those services so that more customers are satisfied at the intensive level.
Customer Choice and ITAs: Effective Decision-Making:
Many customers don’t know how to make appropriate career and school selections. All too often they decide to go into a career area based on information that is inaccurate. They pick career goals simply because they heard “it pays a lot of money.” Vendors send clients to the one-stop to get their voucher. At this session, you will learn how to design the system so clients make appropriate, realistic career selections that are based on the labor market.
Case Managing for WIA Performance Standards
Meeting performance under the Workforce Investment Act is difficult. There are seventeen standards across five groups including employers. Standards are made or lost up to twelve months following exit. Who gets registered directly impacts performance. Staff need to understand the implications of the decisions they make in terms of recruitment and moving clients through the three layers of service. Careful decisions must be made concerning who to recruit and register, when and who to exit.
Integrating Employer Services Into the One-Stop
In a one-stop environment successful job development requires collaborative effort among multiple agencies. Job developers who have “belonged” to specific agencies, funding streams and customer populations need to learn strategies and techniques that lead to placement regardless of who the job seeker “belongs” to. This workshop will explore how to build a system that integrates employer services in a one-stop environment. At this session we will examine seven steps of integrating services. You will learn what services to sell, how to sell them, and get ideas for addressing the key issues around integration.
Orientation and Intake:
Building motivation, engagement and participation begins from the first interaction that program staff have with the applicant. Often the upfront process is built from a perspective of program requirements and services rather than from the perspective of engaging the client. Too often the introduction to the program is walking through a series of power point slides with limited opportunity for attendee interaction. Orientation is simultaneously too much information and not enough information. This segment will cover how to build an engaging, upfront orientation and process that builds the enthusiasm of the attendees so they want to continue.
Suitability determination:
Determining who is suitable for a training program is a challenge. Programs need to select participants who are not only eligible but are also motivated to partake in the services, to get a job, and stay on the job. Programs are often under pressure to increase enrollments and so enroll individuals who are not well suited to the service often spend inordinate amounts of time trying to re-engage disengaged participants. A well designed suitability system should be consistent, fair, objective and lead to better enrollments. This segment will outline the components of a well-designed suitability system and will provide initial tools for the program to adapt.
Triage:
Clients enter programs with differing levels of motivation and challenges to completion. Some need frequent coaching and case management to successfully complete. Others need much less. The majority of programs set up schedules for case management – from once a week to once a quarter. As caseload size increases, it is difficult for a case manager to maintain the same level of interaction with all students. There simply are not enough hours in the day to maintain a consistent level of interaction with every client. One size does not fit all. This training segment will cover a systematic approach for dividing the caseload into groups: those who need the most interaction, those who need the standard level of interaction and those who need the least.
Re-Engagement:
No matter what a program does, no matter how great the services and staff are, all programs will lose clients. That is a certainty. Program staff tries to re-engage the clients by phoning them, sending post cards and letters as well as occasionally doing home visits. This segment will cover the most important components to re-engaging the dis-engaged participants.
Building Self-Esteem:
Many participants in workforce development programs suffer from low self-esteem which is one of the six major elements of motivation. Self-esteem can result in poor training performance, failing to a get a job, and a lack of growth in a job. People with low self-esteem often blame others for things that happen and thus become victims to external circumstances. At this training, you will learn specific techniques to build positive self-image, how to get participants to accept responsibility for the choices that they make and how to help clients take control.
Post-Training/Pre-Placement Fall Off:
One of the biggest fall offs from participation is once students finish training. Yet, it is one of the most important points for program success. Students need to get jobs. This segment will provide strategies for maintaining the active engagement of clients during their job search.
Teaching Job Retention Skills:
Occupational skill training provides a credential which can open the door to new employment opportunities. Yet, unless the job seeker knows to keep a job, the likelihood that he/she will be successful at work is minimal. Maintaining and moving up on a job requires a set of skills and attitudes that often are not found in high risk populations. This segment will cover the benefits of teaching job retention and advancement skills, how to select topics and provide examples of engaging, motivational methods of teaching job retention both in the classroom and one on one.
Motivation and Participation:
Keeping clients engaged over the long haul is crucial to any program’s success. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to motivate “hard to serve” participants and to prevent them from dropping out of a program. Some may have feel coerced, their spirits may be low. Other participants enter the program with low self-esteem. Clearly these are not ideal conditions for a positive learning environment. Programs can bolster a participant’s enthusiasm fairly quickly. This segment will focus on the six keys to maintaining motivation and will provide examples that can be used in the program by staff.
Selling Post Placement Services:
The program works best when clients want post-placement service and understand its value. It is far easier to stay in touch with customers placed in jobs when they are eager to talk to staff members about their work. Therefore, staff members must convince participants that post placement is integral to success. But after they get a job, many clients treat the program as if the program is over. This segment will teach staff how to give post placement value so participants are more likely to stay engaged during the follow-up period.
Maintaining Motivation through Post Placement, Job Retention and Advancement:
A key challenge facing programs is helping workers sustain and advance in the workforce. Programs work diligently to help participants find jobs. Tailoring post placement services to strive for advancement and income improvement has many advantages. This segment will focus on how to write a motivating post placement plan with working participants and how to coach clients for career advancement.
Return to Workshop Index
Marketing One-Stop Career Centers:
This workshop is designed to show you how to substantially increase traffic through your one stop – both from employers as well as job seekers. You will learn how to develop and implement a successful, low-cost promotion plan. You’ll get specific suggestions about which kinds of marketing activities to do, how, what and when to advertise. You will construct a promotional plan and several promotional pieces.
Recruiting Customers for Workforce Development Programs:
This immensely popular workshop has been attended by more than 9,000 social services professionals. Attenders discover dozens of practical, low-cost and simple tactics to recruit plenty of clients to education, social services or job training programs. You will learn advertising do’s and don’ts, how to develop effective advertising messages, techniques for successful networking and how to get the client through the intake process – a crucial point since most job training agencies lose over half of their recruits during the various phases of intake.
Developing and Sell One-Stop "Intensive" Services:
Many customers want to jump from core services to education and training when they enter the one stop. They see no value in the intensive service component. Yet serving more in intensive services reduces cost, increases the umber of people who can obtain a service and can increase performance. But often times staff aren't adept at selling and providing intensive level services. This session will cover a host of services that can be provided at the intensive level, have value to the customer, to the system and to employers. You will learn how to effectively market those services so that more customers are satisfied at the intensive level.
Customer Choice and ITAs: Effective Decision-Making:
Many customers don’t know how to make appropriate career and school selections. All too often they decide to go into a career area based on information that is inaccurate. They pick career goals simply because they heard “it pays a lot of money.” Vendors send clients to the one-stop to get their voucher. At this session, you will learn how to design the system so clients make appropriate, realistic career selections that are based on the labor market.
Case Managing for WIA Performance Standards
Meeting performance under the Workforce Investment Act is difficult. There are seventeen standards across five groups including employers. Standards are made or lost up to twelve months following exit. Who gets registered directly impacts performance. Staff need to understand the implications of the decisions they make in terms of recruitment and moving clients through the three layers of service. Careful decisions must be made concerning who to recruit and register, when and who to exit.
Integrating Employer Services Into the One-Stop
In a one-stop environment successful job development requires collaborative effort among multiple agencies. Job developers who have “belonged” to specific agencies, funding streams and customer populations need to learn strategies and techniques that lead to placement regardless of who the job seeker “belongs” to. This workshop will explore how to build a system that integrates employer services in a one-stop environment. At this session we will examine seven steps of integrating services. You will learn what services to sell, how to sell them, and get ideas for addressing the key issues around integration.
Orientation and Intake:
Building motivation, engagement and participation begins from the first interaction that program staff have with the applicant. Often the upfront process is built from a perspective of program requirements and services rather than from the perspective of engaging the client. Too often the introduction to the program is walking through a series of power point slides with limited opportunity for attendee interaction. Orientation is simultaneously too much information and not enough information. This segment will cover how to build an engaging, upfront orientation and process that builds the enthusiasm of the attendees so they want to continue.
Suitability determination:
Determining who is suitable for a training program is a challenge. Programs need to select participants who are not only eligible but are also motivated to partake in the services, to get a job, and stay on the job. Programs are often under pressure to increase enrollments and so enroll individuals who are not well suited to the service often spend inordinate amounts of time trying to re-engage disengaged participants. A well designed suitability system should be consistent, fair, objective and lead to better enrollments. This segment will outline the components of a well-designed suitability system and will provide initial tools for the program to adapt.
Triage:
Clients enter programs with differing levels of motivation and challenges to completion. Some need frequent coaching and case management to successfully complete. Others need much less. The majority of programs set up schedules for case management – from once a week to once a quarter. As caseload size increases, it is difficult for a case manager to maintain the same level of interaction with all students. There simply are not enough hours in the day to maintain a consistent level of interaction with every client. One size does not fit all. This training segment will cover a systematic approach for dividing the caseload into groups: those who need the most interaction, those who need the standard level of interaction and those who need the least.
Re-Engagement:
No matter what a program does, no matter how great the services and staff are, all programs will lose clients. That is a certainty. Program staff tries to re-engage the clients by phoning them, sending post cards and letters as well as occasionally doing home visits. This segment will cover the most important components to re-engaging the dis-engaged participants.
Building Self-Esteem:
Many participants in workforce development programs suffer from low self-esteem which is one of the six major elements of motivation. Self-esteem can result in poor training performance, failing to a get a job, and a lack of growth in a job. People with low self-esteem often blame others for things that happen and thus become victims to external circumstances. At this training, you will learn specific techniques to build positive self-image, how to get participants to accept responsibility for the choices that they make and how to help clients take control.
Post-Training/Pre-Placement Fall Off:
One of the biggest fall offs from participation is once students finish training. Yet, it is one of the most important points for program success. Students need to get jobs. This segment will provide strategies for maintaining the active engagement of clients during their job search.
Teaching Job Retention Skills:
Occupational skill training provides a credential which can open the door to new employment opportunities. Yet, unless the job seeker knows to keep a job, the likelihood that he/she will be successful at work is minimal. Maintaining and moving up on a job requires a set of skills and attitudes that often are not found in high risk populations. This segment will cover the benefits of teaching job retention and advancement skills, how to select topics and provide examples of engaging, motivational methods of teaching job retention both in the classroom and one on one.
Motivation and Participation:
Keeping clients engaged over the long haul is crucial to any program’s success. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to motivate “hard to serve” participants and to prevent them from dropping out of a program. Some may have feel coerced, their spirits may be low. Other participants enter the program with low self-esteem. Clearly these are not ideal conditions for a positive learning environment. Programs can bolster a participant’s enthusiasm fairly quickly. This segment will focus on the six keys to maintaining motivation and will provide examples that can be used in the program by staff.
Selling Post Placement Services:
The program works best when clients want post-placement service and understand its value. It is far easier to stay in touch with customers placed in jobs when they are eager to talk to staff members about their work. Therefore, staff members must convince participants that post placement is integral to success. But after they get a job, many clients treat the program as if the program is over. This segment will teach staff how to give post placement value so participants are more likely to stay engaged during the follow-up period.
Maintaining Motivation through Post Placement, Job Retention and Advancement:
A key challenge facing programs is helping workers sustain and advance in the workforce. Programs work diligently to help participants find jobs. Tailoring post placement services to strive for advancement and income improvement has many advantages. This segment will focus on how to write a motivating post placement plan with working participants and how to coach clients for career advancement.
Return to Workshop Index
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Case Managing for Retention and Advancement
Mix and Match Content Based on Your Needs:
The Case Manager's Role in Job Retention
Programs that achieve good job retention are often different in many ways from programs aimed at job placement. Learn practical case management strategies that focus on client orientation, assessment, work-readiness training, job-matching, counselor/case management roles, employer involvement, case-notes, employability plans and identifying the clients who really need retention services. Gets down to the nuts and bolts of case management with lessons from model programs and recent research. Retention isn’t only impacted by the retention counselors. It involves every aspect of the program and services provided by all the staff.
Succeeding with Post-Placement Services, Job Retention and Wage Advancement
Training and job placement just aren’t enough to help low income people reach self-sufficiency. Studies show the vast majority are unemployed or stuck in dead-end jobs a year after leaving TANF. Fortunately, new research and innovative programs reveal practical strategies that move low income people farther and faster toward self-sufficiency. This session will look at what post-placement services need to be offered to help clients retain and advance in jobs. You will leave with a sample advancement plan in hand that you can use with clients, techniques for building retention into the placement process and strategies for involving the employer. This session takes staff from the point of placement a year on the job.
Selling Post-Placement Services to Customers
The trend in workforce development programs is to provide services beyond placement yet many customers believe that when they get a job, the program is over. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s difficult to provide post-placement and advancement services to clients who don’t see the benefits of them. Customers are difficult to find, don’t return phone calls, and want job training staff to simply leave them alone. Come learn how to reposition your services so customers see the benefits, want to be involved beyond placement and stay involved. Get examples of techniques that you can use.
Teaching Work Habits and Attitudes
You have worked hard to develop the placement and woo the employer and then you are left holding the bag when your participate quits or is fired. Customers quit jobs for a myriad of reasons: they are asked to do something they don't view as being their job, they don't get along with supervisors, they miss too much work and are frequently tardy. Yet to be successful and progress on the job, customers must exhibit positive work habits and build a strong work history. This workshop covers a compilation of strategies and techniques to change attitudes, to internalize positive work habits and attitudes and to help clients understand the culture of work.
Return to Workshop Index
The Case Manager's Role in Job Retention
Programs that achieve good job retention are often different in many ways from programs aimed at job placement. Learn practical case management strategies that focus on client orientation, assessment, work-readiness training, job-matching, counselor/case management roles, employer involvement, case-notes, employability plans and identifying the clients who really need retention services. Gets down to the nuts and bolts of case management with lessons from model programs and recent research. Retention isn’t only impacted by the retention counselors. It involves every aspect of the program and services provided by all the staff.
Succeeding with Post-Placement Services, Job Retention and Wage Advancement
Training and job placement just aren’t enough to help low income people reach self-sufficiency. Studies show the vast majority are unemployed or stuck in dead-end jobs a year after leaving TANF. Fortunately, new research and innovative programs reveal practical strategies that move low income people farther and faster toward self-sufficiency. This session will look at what post-placement services need to be offered to help clients retain and advance in jobs. You will leave with a sample advancement plan in hand that you can use with clients, techniques for building retention into the placement process and strategies for involving the employer. This session takes staff from the point of placement a year on the job.
Selling Post-Placement Services to Customers
The trend in workforce development programs is to provide services beyond placement yet many customers believe that when they get a job, the program is over. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s difficult to provide post-placement and advancement services to clients who don’t see the benefits of them. Customers are difficult to find, don’t return phone calls, and want job training staff to simply leave them alone. Come learn how to reposition your services so customers see the benefits, want to be involved beyond placement and stay involved. Get examples of techniques that you can use.
Teaching Work Habits and Attitudes
You have worked hard to develop the placement and woo the employer and then you are left holding the bag when your participate quits or is fired. Customers quit jobs for a myriad of reasons: they are asked to do something they don't view as being their job, they don't get along with supervisors, they miss too much work and are frequently tardy. Yet to be successful and progress on the job, customers must exhibit positive work habits and build a strong work history. This workshop covers a compilation of strategies and techniques to change attitudes, to internalize positive work habits and attitudes and to help clients understand the culture of work.
Return to Workshop Index
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Long Term Unemployed
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Recruiting Dislocated Workers to Your Program
This workshop outlines the most successful methods in recruiting dislocated workers into workforce development programs. The key is to relieve stress by offering the hope of returning to work without losing all the worker has achieved in life. You will learn how to reach workers who are in denial, are angry or depressed. You will learn how to increase the number of dislocated workers who come in right away rather than wait for their unemployment check to run out.
Helping Dislocated Workers Succeed
Learn the basics of helping dislocated workers rebuild their lives, obtain training and education, and gain employment. You will learn how to hold effective orientations, quick and easy assessment techniques, plus how to decide who is appropriate for retraining. You will also learn counseling techniques for the five stages of the dislocation experience and how to help these laid-off workers set realistic employment goals. We will cover factors that influence how workers react to job loss, how to identify workers in crisis and how to get workers to join programs before their unemployment runs out.
Orientation and Intake:
Building motivation, engagement and participation begins from the first interaction that program staff have with the applicant. Often the upfront process is built from a perspective of program requirements and services rather than from the perspective of engaging the client. Too often the introduction to the program is walking through a series of power point slides with limited opportunity for attendee interaction. Orientation is simultaneously too much information and not enough information. This segment will cover how to build an engaging, upfront orientation and process that builds the enthusiasm of the attendees so they want to continue.
Suitability determination:
Determining who is suitable for a training program is a challenge. Programs need to select participants who are not only eligible but are also motivated to partake in the services, to get a job, and stay on the job. Programs are often under pressure to increase enrollments and so enroll individuals who are not well suited to the service often spend inordinate amounts of time trying to re-engage disengaged participants. A well designed suitability system should be consistent, fair, objective and lead to better enrollments. This segment will outline the components of a well-designed suitability system and will provide initial tools for the program to adapt.
Triage:
Clients enter programs with differing levels of motivation and challenges to completion. Some need frequent coaching and case management to successfully complete. Others need much less. The majority of programs set up schedules for case management – from once a week to once a quarter. As caseload size increases, it is difficult for a case manager to maintain the same level of interaction with all students. There simply are not enough hours in the day to maintain a consistent level of interaction with every client. One size does not fit all. This training segment will cover a systematic approach for dividing the caseload into groups: those who need the most interaction, those who need the standard level of interaction and those who need the least.
Re-Engagement:
No matter what a program does, no matter how great the services and staff are, all programs will lose clients. That is a certainty. Program staff tries to re-engage the clients by phoning them, sending post cards and letters as well as occasionally doing home visits. This segment will cover the most important components to re-engaging the dis-engaged participants.
Building Self-Esteem:
Many participants in workforce development programs suffer from low self-esteem which is one of the six major elements of motivation. Self-esteem can result in poor training performance, failing to a get a job, and a lack of growth in a job. People with low self-esteem often blame others for things that happen and thus become victims to external circumstances. At this training, you will learn specific techniques to build positive self-image, how to get participants to accept responsibility for the choices that they make and how to help clients take control.
Post-Training/Pre-Placement Fall Off:
One of the biggest fall offs from participation is once students finish training. Yet, it is one of the most important points for program success. Students need to get jobs. This segment will provide strategies for maintaining the active engagement of clients during their job search.
Teaching Job Retention Skills:
Occupational skill training provides a credential which can open the door to new employment opportunities. Yet, unless the job seeker knows to keep a job, the likelihood that he/she will be successful at work is minimal. Maintaining and moving up on a job requires a set of skills and attitudes that often are not found in high risk populations. This segment will cover the benefits of teaching job retention and advancement skills, how to select topics and provide examples of engaging, motivational methods of teaching job retention both in the classroom and one on one.
Motivation and Participation:
Keeping clients engaged over the long haul is crucial to any program’s success. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to motivate “hard to serve” participants and to prevent them from dropping out of a program. Some may have feel coerced, their spirits may be low. Other participants enter the program with low self-esteem. Clearly these are not ideal conditions for a positive learning environment. Programs can bolster a participant’s enthusiasm fairly quickly. This segment will focus on the six keys to maintaining motivation and will provide examples that can be used in the program by staff.
Selling Post Placement Services:
The program works best when clients want post-placement service and understand its value. It is far easier to stay in touch with customers placed in jobs when they are eager to talk to staff members about their work. Therefore, staff members must convince participants that post placement is integral to success. But after they get a job, many clients treat the program as if the program is over. This segment will teach staff how to give post placement value so participants are more likely to stay engaged during the follow-up period.
Maintaining Motivation through Post Placement, Job Retention and Advancement:
A key challenge facing programs is helping workers sustain and advance in the workforce. Programs work diligently to help participants find jobs. Tailoring post placement services to strive for advancement and income improvement has many advantages. This segment will focus on how to write a motivating post placement plan with working participants and how to coach clients for career advancement.
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Recruiting Dislocated Workers to Your Program
This workshop outlines the most successful methods in recruiting dislocated workers into workforce development programs. The key is to relieve stress by offering the hope of returning to work without losing all the worker has achieved in life. You will learn how to reach workers who are in denial, are angry or depressed. You will learn how to increase the number of dislocated workers who come in right away rather than wait for their unemployment check to run out.
Helping Dislocated Workers Succeed
Learn the basics of helping dislocated workers rebuild their lives, obtain training and education, and gain employment. You will learn how to hold effective orientations, quick and easy assessment techniques, plus how to decide who is appropriate for retraining. You will also learn counseling techniques for the five stages of the dislocation experience and how to help these laid-off workers set realistic employment goals. We will cover factors that influence how workers react to job loss, how to identify workers in crisis and how to get workers to join programs before their unemployment runs out.
Orientation and Intake:
Building motivation, engagement and participation begins from the first interaction that program staff have with the applicant. Often the upfront process is built from a perspective of program requirements and services rather than from the perspective of engaging the client. Too often the introduction to the program is walking through a series of power point slides with limited opportunity for attendee interaction. Orientation is simultaneously too much information and not enough information. This segment will cover how to build an engaging, upfront orientation and process that builds the enthusiasm of the attendees so they want to continue.
Suitability determination:
Determining who is suitable for a training program is a challenge. Programs need to select participants who are not only eligible but are also motivated to partake in the services, to get a job, and stay on the job. Programs are often under pressure to increase enrollments and so enroll individuals who are not well suited to the service often spend inordinate amounts of time trying to re-engage disengaged participants. A well designed suitability system should be consistent, fair, objective and lead to better enrollments. This segment will outline the components of a well-designed suitability system and will provide initial tools for the program to adapt.
Triage:
Clients enter programs with differing levels of motivation and challenges to completion. Some need frequent coaching and case management to successfully complete. Others need much less. The majority of programs set up schedules for case management – from once a week to once a quarter. As caseload size increases, it is difficult for a case manager to maintain the same level of interaction with all students. There simply are not enough hours in the day to maintain a consistent level of interaction with every client. One size does not fit all. This training segment will cover a systematic approach for dividing the caseload into groups: those who need the most interaction, those who need the standard level of interaction and those who need the least.
Re-Engagement:
No matter what a program does, no matter how great the services and staff are, all programs will lose clients. That is a certainty. Program staff tries to re-engage the clients by phoning them, sending post cards and letters as well as occasionally doing home visits. This segment will cover the most important components to re-engaging the dis-engaged participants.
Building Self-Esteem:
Many participants in workforce development programs suffer from low self-esteem which is one of the six major elements of motivation. Self-esteem can result in poor training performance, failing to a get a job, and a lack of growth in a job. People with low self-esteem often blame others for things that happen and thus become victims to external circumstances. At this training, you will learn specific techniques to build positive self-image, how to get participants to accept responsibility for the choices that they make and how to help clients take control.
Post-Training/Pre-Placement Fall Off:
One of the biggest fall offs from participation is once students finish training. Yet, it is one of the most important points for program success. Students need to get jobs. This segment will provide strategies for maintaining the active engagement of clients during their job search.
Teaching Job Retention Skills:
Occupational skill training provides a credential which can open the door to new employment opportunities. Yet, unless the job seeker knows to keep a job, the likelihood that he/she will be successful at work is minimal. Maintaining and moving up on a job requires a set of skills and attitudes that often are not found in high risk populations. This segment will cover the benefits of teaching job retention and advancement skills, how to select topics and provide examples of engaging, motivational methods of teaching job retention both in the classroom and one on one.
Motivation and Participation:
Keeping clients engaged over the long haul is crucial to any program’s success. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to motivate “hard to serve” participants and to prevent them from dropping out of a program. Some may have feel coerced, their spirits may be low. Other participants enter the program with low self-esteem. Clearly these are not ideal conditions for a positive learning environment. Programs can bolster a participant’s enthusiasm fairly quickly. This segment will focus on the six keys to maintaining motivation and will provide examples that can be used in the program by staff.
Selling Post Placement Services:
The program works best when clients want post-placement service and understand its value. It is far easier to stay in touch with customers placed in jobs when they are eager to talk to staff members about their work. Therefore, staff members must convince participants that post placement is integral to success. But after they get a job, many clients treat the program as if the program is over. This segment will teach staff how to give post placement value so participants are more likely to stay engaged during the follow-up period.
Maintaining Motivation through Post Placement, Job Retention and Advancement:
A key challenge facing programs is helping workers sustain and advance in the workforce. Programs work diligently to help participants find jobs. Tailoring post placement services to strive for advancement and income improvement has many advantages. This segment will focus on how to write a motivating post placement plan with working participants and how to coach clients for career advancement.
Return to Workshop Index
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Youth Programs
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Making Sure Youth Programs Meet WIA Performance Standards
Youth programs must be designed strategically to meet WIA performance
measures. Program designing issues include everything from who to recruit to what services to offer. The new common measures for youth will require a rethinking of program designing. This session will cover key features of programs likely to meet performance. It will look at how to design programs from performance backwards.
Orientation and Intake:
Building motivation, engagement and participation begins from the first interaction that program staff have with the applicant. Often the upfront process is built from a perspective of program requirements and services rather than from the perspective of engaging the client. Too often the introduction to the program is walking through a series of power point slides with limited opportunity for attendee interaction. Orientation is simultaneously too much information and not enough information. This segment will cover how to build an engaging, upfront orientation and process that builds the enthusiasm of the attendees so they want to continue.
Suitability determination:
Determining who is suitable for a training program is a challenge. Programs need to select participants who are not only eligible but are also motivated to partake in the services, to get a job, and stay on the job. Programs are often under pressure to increase enrollments and so enroll individuals who are not well suited to the service often spend inordinate amounts of time trying to re-engage disengaged participants. A well designed suitability system should be consistent, fair, objective and lead to better enrollments. This segment will outline the components of a well-designed suitability system and will provide initial tools for the program to adapt.
Triage:
Youth enter programs with differing levels of motivation and challenges to completion. Some need frequent coaching and case management to successfully complete. Others need much less. The majority of programs set up schedules for case management – from once a week to once a quarter. As caseload size increases, it is difficult for a case manager to maintain the same level of interaction with all students. There simply are not enough hours in the day to maintain a consistent level of interaction with every client. One size does not fit all. This training segment will cover a systematic approach for dividing the caseload into groups: those who need the most interaction, those who need the standard level of interaction and those who need the least.
Re-Engagement:
No matter what a program does, no matter how great the services and staff are, all programs will lose youth. That is a certainty. Program staff tries to re-engage the clients by phoning them, sending post cards and letters as well as occasionally doing home visits. This segment will cover the most important components to re-engaging the dis-engaged participants.
Building Self-Esteem:
Many youth in workforce development programs suffer from low self-esteem which is one of the six major elements of motivation. Self-esteem can result in poor training performance, failing to a get a job, and a lack of growth in a job. People with low self-esteem often blame others for things that happen and thus become victims to external circumstances. At this training, you will learn specific techniques to build positive self-image, how to get participants to accept responsibility for the choices that they make and how to help clients take control.
Post-Training/Pre-Placement Fall Off:
One of the biggest fall offs from participation is once students finish training. Yet, it is one of the most important points for program success. Students need to get jobs. This segment will provide strategies for maintaining the active engagement of clients during their job search.
Teaching Job Retention Skills:
Occupational skill training and education provides a credential which can open the door to new employment opportunities. Yet, unless the youth knows to keep a job, the likelihood that he/she will be successful at work is minimal. Maintaining and moving up on a job requires a set of skills and attitudes that often are not found in high risk populations. This segment will cover the benefits of teaching job retention and advancement skills, how to select topics and provide examples of engaging, motivational methods of teaching job retention both in the classroom and one on one.
Motivation and Participation:
Keeping clients engaged over the long haul is crucial to any program’s success. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to motivate “hard to serve” participants and to prevent them from dropping out of a program. Some may have feel coerced, their spirits may be low. Other participants enter the program with low self-esteem. Clearly these are not ideal conditions for a positive learning environment. Programs can bolster a participant’s enthusiasm fairly quickly. This segment will focus on the six keys to maintaining motivation and will provide examples that can be used in the program by staff.
Selling Post Placement Services:
The program works best when clients want post-placement service and understand its value. It is far easier to stay in touch with customers placed in jobs when they are eager to talk to staff members about their work. Therefore, staff members must convince participants that post placement is integral to success. But after they get a job, many clients treat the program as if the program is over. This segment will teach staff how to give post placement value so participants are more likely to stay engaged during the follow-up period.
Maintaining Motivation through Post Placement, Job Retention and Advancement:
A key challenge facing programs is helping youth sustain and advance in the workforce. Programs work diligently to help youth find jobs. Yet many youth they serve do not earn enough to rise from poverty. Tailoring post placement services to strive for advancement and income improvement has many advantages. This segment will focus on how to write a motivating post placement plan with working participants and how to coach clients for career advancement.
Return to Workshop Index
Making Sure Youth Programs Meet WIA Performance Standards
Youth programs must be designed strategically to meet WIA performance
measures. Program designing issues include everything from who to recruit to what services to offer. The new common measures for youth will require a rethinking of program designing. This session will cover key features of programs likely to meet performance. It will look at how to design programs from performance backwards.
Orientation and Intake:
Building motivation, engagement and participation begins from the first interaction that program staff have with the applicant. Often the upfront process is built from a perspective of program requirements and services rather than from the perspective of engaging the client. Too often the introduction to the program is walking through a series of power point slides with limited opportunity for attendee interaction. Orientation is simultaneously too much information and not enough information. This segment will cover how to build an engaging, upfront orientation and process that builds the enthusiasm of the attendees so they want to continue.
Suitability determination:
Determining who is suitable for a training program is a challenge. Programs need to select participants who are not only eligible but are also motivated to partake in the services, to get a job, and stay on the job. Programs are often under pressure to increase enrollments and so enroll individuals who are not well suited to the service often spend inordinate amounts of time trying to re-engage disengaged participants. A well designed suitability system should be consistent, fair, objective and lead to better enrollments. This segment will outline the components of a well-designed suitability system and will provide initial tools for the program to adapt.
Triage:
Youth enter programs with differing levels of motivation and challenges to completion. Some need frequent coaching and case management to successfully complete. Others need much less. The majority of programs set up schedules for case management – from once a week to once a quarter. As caseload size increases, it is difficult for a case manager to maintain the same level of interaction with all students. There simply are not enough hours in the day to maintain a consistent level of interaction with every client. One size does not fit all. This training segment will cover a systematic approach for dividing the caseload into groups: those who need the most interaction, those who need the standard level of interaction and those who need the least.
Re-Engagement:
No matter what a program does, no matter how great the services and staff are, all programs will lose youth. That is a certainty. Program staff tries to re-engage the clients by phoning them, sending post cards and letters as well as occasionally doing home visits. This segment will cover the most important components to re-engaging the dis-engaged participants.
Building Self-Esteem:
Many youth in workforce development programs suffer from low self-esteem which is one of the six major elements of motivation. Self-esteem can result in poor training performance, failing to a get a job, and a lack of growth in a job. People with low self-esteem often blame others for things that happen and thus become victims to external circumstances. At this training, you will learn specific techniques to build positive self-image, how to get participants to accept responsibility for the choices that they make and how to help clients take control.
Post-Training/Pre-Placement Fall Off:
One of the biggest fall offs from participation is once students finish training. Yet, it is one of the most important points for program success. Students need to get jobs. This segment will provide strategies for maintaining the active engagement of clients during their job search.
Teaching Job Retention Skills:
Occupational skill training and education provides a credential which can open the door to new employment opportunities. Yet, unless the youth knows to keep a job, the likelihood that he/she will be successful at work is minimal. Maintaining and moving up on a job requires a set of skills and attitudes that often are not found in high risk populations. This segment will cover the benefits of teaching job retention and advancement skills, how to select topics and provide examples of engaging, motivational methods of teaching job retention both in the classroom and one on one.
Motivation and Participation:
Keeping clients engaged over the long haul is crucial to any program’s success. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to motivate “hard to serve” participants and to prevent them from dropping out of a program. Some may have feel coerced, their spirits may be low. Other participants enter the program with low self-esteem. Clearly these are not ideal conditions for a positive learning environment. Programs can bolster a participant’s enthusiasm fairly quickly. This segment will focus on the six keys to maintaining motivation and will provide examples that can be used in the program by staff.
Selling Post Placement Services:
The program works best when clients want post-placement service and understand its value. It is far easier to stay in touch with customers placed in jobs when they are eager to talk to staff members about their work. Therefore, staff members must convince participants that post placement is integral to success. But after they get a job, many clients treat the program as if the program is over. This segment will teach staff how to give post placement value so participants are more likely to stay engaged during the follow-up period.
Maintaining Motivation through Post Placement, Job Retention and Advancement:
A key challenge facing programs is helping youth sustain and advance in the workforce. Programs work diligently to help youth find jobs. Yet many youth they serve do not earn enough to rise from poverty. Tailoring post placement services to strive for advancement and income improvement has many advantages. This segment will focus on how to write a motivating post placement plan with working participants and how to coach clients for career advancement.
Return to Workshop Index
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Working With Employers
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Integrating Employer Services Into the One-Stop
In a one-stop environment successful job development requires collaborative effort among multiple agencies. Job developers who have “belonged” to specific agencies, funding streams and customer populations need to learn strategies and techniques that lead to placement regardless of who the job seeker “belongs” to. This workshop will explore how to build a system that integrates employer services in a one-stop environment. At this session we will examine seven steps of integrating services. You will learn what services to sell, how to sell them, and get ideas for addressing the key issues around integration.
Job Development: How to Convince Employers to Hire the Hard-to-Serve
Self-directed job placement has been the trend but simply isn’t enough for clients who have major barriers to employment or who live in areas with high jobless rates. Staff must take the lead and seek out job openings, "sell" employers on particular clients, and maintain good relationships, even when placements turn out badly. You'll learn practical and innovative ways to "position" your program in the community; identify job openings; use telemarketing and direct mail; make sales calls that get results; match clients to jobs; keep employers engaged to improve job retention; and satisfy employers so they will hire from you repeatedly. Lots of examples and exercises.
Getting Employers Involved in Job Retention
Some of the most impressive gains in client job retention occur when employers are actively involved. Yet most agencies have a hard time selling the concept to the business community and are treated as if the post-placement service is an annoyance rather than a service. We need to move away from “labor exchange” and toward “selling retention.” Performance standards almost require it. At this session, we will look what services to promote, how to sell them and how to provide a valuable service. We will look at various options for providing post-placement services and how to intervene tactfully when problems arise.
Return to Workshop Index
Integrating Employer Services Into the One-Stop
In a one-stop environment successful job development requires collaborative effort among multiple agencies. Job developers who have “belonged” to specific agencies, funding streams and customer populations need to learn strategies and techniques that lead to placement regardless of who the job seeker “belongs” to. This workshop will explore how to build a system that integrates employer services in a one-stop environment. At this session we will examine seven steps of integrating services. You will learn what services to sell, how to sell them, and get ideas for addressing the key issues around integration.
Job Development: How to Convince Employers to Hire the Hard-to-Serve
Self-directed job placement has been the trend but simply isn’t enough for clients who have major barriers to employment or who live in areas with high jobless rates. Staff must take the lead and seek out job openings, "sell" employers on particular clients, and maintain good relationships, even when placements turn out badly. You'll learn practical and innovative ways to "position" your program in the community; identify job openings; use telemarketing and direct mail; make sales calls that get results; match clients to jobs; keep employers engaged to improve job retention; and satisfy employers so they will hire from you repeatedly. Lots of examples and exercises.
Getting Employers Involved in Job Retention
Some of the most impressive gains in client job retention occur when employers are actively involved. Yet most agencies have a hard time selling the concept to the business community and are treated as if the post-placement service is an annoyance rather than a service. We need to move away from “labor exchange” and toward “selling retention.” Performance standards almost require it. At this session, we will look what services to promote, how to sell them and how to provide a valuable service. We will look at various options for providing post-placement services and how to intervene tactfully when problems arise.
Return to Workshop Index
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