 |
 Happenings at the Association of Iowa Workforce Partners
|
- Registration is open for the 2017 AIWP Annual Conference! Join us March 22-24, 2017 for Partnerships with Purpose: Pathways for Success, with sessions on Priority of Service, Youth, Sector Partnerships, and Career Pathways, to name just a few, as well as a preconference focused on serving ex-offenders as the reenter the workforce. Register online today!
- The Association of Iowa Workforce Partners is looking ahead to the legislative session and building awareness among our state legislators of the importance of workforce services to Iowans and employers. Join us the morning of January 31, 2017 at the Iowa State Capitol Building for breakfast and to chat with your legislators about the important work you do! Please RSVP online.
|
Case Studies in Collaboration
|
IowaWORKS Southern Hills and Southwestern Community College hosted "The Road to Success is Always Under Construction Conference" in Creston on October 18, 2016. With 115 people in attendance, the summit increased collaboration between business leaders, school faculty and administrators, and community leaders to strategize workforce needs in light of the nation-wide middle-skills gap.
Speakers and panelists, as well as round-table discussions, provided rich discussion on an array of workforce and education collaboration topics. Sessions included: navigating a multi-generational workforce; soft skills in the workplace; creative business-school collaboration projects; changing needs, and career pathways. Scott Siepker, Iowa actor and creator of the "Iowa Nice" videos provided the keynote address.
Participant Comments:
"Continue to host these please! The more we can engage the business world with the education world the better we can each serve each other. Your group is a great mediator."
"It was valuable to hear that we (education and business) are on the same wave length. We just need to figure out more and better ways to work together."
"I want to thank you for coordinating the Road to Success Summit last Tuesday. I went away from there ready to pound the pavement and get some things started in our community! The speakers were dynamic, and the connections it allowed me to make are hopefully going to be beneficial. Now it's getting others around me fired up!"
For more information on this event and ideas for replication in your region, contact Barb DeVore at barb.devore@iwd.iowa.gov.
|
TEGL 4-15 (guidance from the federal Department of Labor) lays out the Department's vision for the one-stop system. It is lengthy, at 10 pages. Here are a few highlights from the document. Feel free to read the TEGL in its entirety via this link.
- WIOA values the one-stop system. These systems strengthen local areas by aligning workforce, education, and economic development to regional, in-demand careers. These one-stops emphasize results for job seekers, workers, and business.
- The One-Stop has several responsibilities: providing job seekers with credentials and skills, enabling business to find and hire skilled new workers and upskill current workers, engaging in continuous improvement by ensuring decisions are data-driven.
- One-Stop Customer Service should: reflect a welcoming environment; develop and deliver quality business services, improve skills of job seekers and workers; create opportunities for people at all levels of skills and experience; provide motivating, supportive, and empowering career services; and value skill development.
- One-Stop Innovation and Service Design should: use an integrated intake process, design and use practices that actively engage industry sectors, balance traditional labor exchange services with strategic talent development, ensure meaningful access to all customers, include both virtual and center-based service, and incorporate innovative/evidence-based models.
- One-Stop System Integration and Quality Staffing should: reflect the establishment of robust partnerships, organize and integrate services by function, develop integrated case management and operational policies, use common performance indicators, train and equip staff in an ongoing process, and staff the center with highly trained career counselors.
|
Dear Bob,
How do I make sure I'm connecting with my customers, even on hectic days?
Good question! It is easy to get in the habit of just cycling people through, especially during this season when temporary workers are coming in dozens at a time. It is our responsibility at the One-Stops to make sure we are giving each customer our undivided attention and making sure we are offering them the full array of services we have to offer and making meaningful referrals, even if it takes a little more time than you think you can handle.
First, think of your job like a Keurig coffee maker. You are there to ensure each person gets the unique cup of coffee they like. Each time you reset and start over to ensure everyone is getting exactly what they want. After each customer, you should be resetting and giving them the quality customer service they deserve. They are not just a number, but rather a unique person with a particular cup of coffee.
Second, be sure to connect with the customer by practicing active listening, rather than simply processing each person. Listen for keywords, not just expecting them to answer you directly all the time. Inquire about what they like to do in their free time, if they have any hobbies, or any passions they would like to explore. These could give you clues to better serving unique individuals.
Lastly, don't expect to change things that are out of your control. Meet the customer where they are. Use the tools at your disposal to help the customer overcome the barriers you can and make sure to follow-up on the referrals you make or connect them directly on the spot.
Just remember: don't discount the work you do! If you follow this simple advice, you WILL achieve results and the person you're serving will appreciate the support you gave them.
|
- AIWP Legislative Breakfast - January 31, 2017, Des Moines, IA. Please RSVP online.
- National Skills Summit - February 5-7, 2017, Washington, DC. Find out more online.
- Next Generation Sector Partnership Academy - February 7-8, 2017, Avondale, AZ. Find out more online.
- AIWP Annual Conference - March 22-24, 2017, Des Moines, IA. Find out more on our website and register online.
- National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) Conference - May 22-24, 2017, New Orleans, LA. For more information visit the NAWDP website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
