Our Annual Meeting with Governor Douglas - Story Synopsis
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One aspect of the GCEPD's mission is to "advise the Governor
on current issues affecting the employment of people with disabilities". To that end - in addition to providing him
with regular updates of our activities - the GCEPD meets with the Governor
annually to discuss issues and our efforts to address them. This year that meeting was held on October
13, 2009 at The Pavilion building in Montpelier.
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Copley Hospital Summer Youth Program - Story Synopsis
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"Magic Happens".
That's the best way to describe the program carried out in the summer of
2009 at Copley Hospital, utilizing a grant for summer youth employment given by
the Department of Labor (using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus
funds) to support youth in transition.
A
collaboration of Voc Rehab VT, the VT Department of Labor, the Lamoille County
Court Diversion's JOBS program, and Copley
Hospital, this program was designed to encourage
economically disadvantaged and disabled youth between ages 18 and 24 - who were
either out of school or in their final year of school - to explore careers in
the health field.
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Job Developer Coalitions - Story Synopsis
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Historically, various communities and regions around Vermont have been served
by an assortment of agencies, service providers, and staff whose work in their
local communities was to provide job placement and support for individuals with
barriers to employment. The problem with
such an approach has been that employers were feeling overwhelmed by the multiple
number of job developers looking to meet with them and they didn't understand
the differences between the various agencies and services. The solution?
The formulation of Job Developer Coalitions, designed to help businesses
meet their workforce needs through coordinated job development and placement.
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MORE ON the Copley Hospital Summer Youth Program
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Launched in July 2009 with ten youth between ages 17 and 20 enrolled,
the 5-week program focused on helping them develop work readiness skills as
well as providing actual-on-the-job training.
The youth spent the majority of each afternoon working in a specific
department at the Hospital, such as Human Resources, Health Information
Management, Radiology, Rehabilitation Services, Orthopedics, Wellness and
Outreach, Housekeeping, Food Services and Health Sciences Library. They were treated as regular employees.
They were also required to abide by hospital and department policies and
procedures. Each participant wore employee
badges and signed confidentiality agreements.
They worked in departments where high-level expectations were set for
them.
Of the ten youth who were initially enrolled in the program,
eight successfully completed it. This isan extraordinary retention rate. The
quality of their performance was outstanding, driven in large part by the
support and belief that the Copley staff and program administrators had in the
ability of these youth. Copley Hospital
is working with Voc Rehab to provide ongoing work-study opportunities to three
of the participants with the intention of hiring them into open positions for
which they are qualified. The other participants have indicated their interest
in pursuing further education relative to healthcare.
The major learning of this program
was that a little risk taking, coupled with support, can help young people to
soar in the workplace - and that young people, whatever their challenge, are
worth the investment.
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MORE ON the Job Developer Coalitions
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Over the past year and a half, with funding from VocRehab Vermont's Medicaid
Infrastructure Grant, these Job
Developer Coalitions have been formed around the state to provide streamlined
services to the "employer customer".
This occurs through well coordinated communication and strong
collaboration between the various job developer providers. By fostering an environment of cooperation,
information sharing and collaboration, these Coalitions have offered employers
a seamless avenue for recruitment, while at the same time offering community
placement staff the benefits of networking and enhanced agency
coordination. By offering a single point
of contact for employers seeking candidates, the Job Developer Coalitions have
streamlined the referral process while at the same time offering a wider, more
diverse candidate pool as represented by the various programs and partners.
Employers have also benefited from the shared expertise and resources of the
various Coalition members.
Begun with five pilots, there are now twelve coalitions, one
in each of the AHS districts. Each coalition has between 10 and 20 active
members from a variety of community organizations. These include: -
VT Dept of Labor
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Voc Rehab/VT Association of Business, Industry and Rehabilitation
(VABIR)
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Economic Services (TANF)
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Corrections
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Mental health and developmental services organizations
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Schools and adult education programs
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The Workforce Investment Board
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United Way
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VT Refugee Resettlement Program
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Other training programs such as ReSource and VT Works for
Women.
Participating members of the Job Developer Coalitions have
identified many of the benefits of these coalitions:
Internally, it has strengthened the working relationships of
the employment staff with each other, which leads to more effective work and
better outcomes.
Externally, it has helped the employment staff become a
coordinated sales team with the business community - a private industry
approach.
The type of contacts are based on the preference of the
employer.
The contact person becomes a facilitator.
The employers benefit from a wider pool of applicants.
Employers have access to a large network to find the best
candidates.
Employers feel listened to and respected about their need
not to be inundated.
It is easier for employers as they don't need to figure out
who to call for which positions.
A person with a disability has access to more job leads.
The employment consultant can survey coalition members for
specific job types, specific hours, who has contact at a particular business,
etc.
A web-based database is available for coalition members with a list of
businesses and the name of any contact person (or coalition) they already
have.
Employment consultants maintain their relationships and
either stay the intermediary or make a warm transfer.
The coalitions recently held a statewide meeting and shared
their successes and challenges. The
group of coalitions has named itself " The Vermont Employment Network" and is
actively working on issues such as a common code of conduct, training
opportunities, best practices for working effectively with employers, and
building trust and a sense of team with each other.
For more information on these Job Developer Coalitions and
the Vermont Employment Network, please email Hugh Bradshaw in
VocRehabVermont, or telephone him at 802-241-2728.
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