NEWSWIB masthead

May 2013
Area 13 facing major funding cuts
SuperJobs suspends job training; fewer services to be offered
 
As a result of sequestration, the SuperJobs Center is preparing to serve significantly fewer people and businesses as it manages a $1.4 million cut to its budget, from $4.4 million to $3 million beginning July 1. Contracted youth services providers will also see their budgets cut by approximately 15% beginning July 1, meaning fewer youth will benefit from services to help them graduate from high school or get a job.

 

To put this in perspective: From July 1, 2012 through April 30, 2013, the SuperJobs Center provided services to 15,496 job seekers. It put 308 of those into short-term skills training -- costing no more than $5,000 per person -- and worked with businesses to hire 105 people using on-the-job training accounts. It helped 262 employers with hiring, through holding hiring events, helping to screen candidates, posting job openings, etc. And during that time, the staff helped almost 665 low-income adult and dislocated workers find jobs.

 

Now SuperJobs is suspending all training for job seekers. It is cutting back on supportive services, which help to pay for such things as bus passes or gas. And it is reducing staffing by six funded staff positions.

 

"Once we get final numbers from the Office of Workforce Development, and know our carry-over from this year's budget, we'll be able to plan more definitively for the next program year," said Kevin Holt, Director of the SuperJobs Center.

 

Cuts to dislocated worker funds for the state of Ohio were among the highest in the country, said Sherry Kelley Marshall, President/CEO of the SWORWIB, and are down 63% from 2009, from $80 million to $30 million. This reflects Department of Labor allocations pegged to unemployment patterns across the country. As Ohio's economy has strengthened, it is getting fewer dollars to serve laid-off workers. And of all the metro areas in Ohio, Hamilton County took the biggest hit in funding for dislocated workers, said Marshall, also reflecting the area's relatively strong unemployment rate of 6.9% in March.

 

"Our regional economy's growth is reason to celebrate," Marshall said. "At the same time, Hamilton County and Cincinnati struggle with a high poverty rate -- 27% in Cincinnati -- continued downsizing, and employers concerned about a lack of skilled workers. These kinds of cuts will make it very challenging to meet the needs of Cincinnati's employers, and to help downsized workers get back into the workforce."

 

As for youth services: Under the current contract year, approximately 350 youth are being served by Cincinnati State, Easter Seals TriState, CYC/Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates, Literacy Center West, and Lighthouse Youth Services.  That number is expected to decline beginning July 1, said Kathleen Williams, Youth and Public Information Coordinator for the SWORWIB.

6 graduate from pre-apprenticeship program
Apprenticeship grads On Feb. 20, more than 250 people registered at a Construction Apprenticeship Fair held at the SuperJobs Center, saying they were interested in pursuing a career in the trades. Out of that group, six young men are on their way. Mareo Akins (from left, above), Ras Rowland, Deonte Freeman, Thomas Davis, Donte Phillips, and Antonio Renato recently graduated from a pre-apprenticeship program taught by the Cincinnati Labor Agency for Social Services (CLASS).
 

The pre-apprenticeship training was held at the IBEW/NECA  Electrical Training Center over six weeks, and included 32 hours of soft skills training and 40 hours of math. Thus far, Freeman has been accepted into a Sheet Metal Workers apprenticeship, Akins into a Laborers apprenticeship, Renato into the Iron Workers, and Davis into Bricklayers.

 

As the construction industry begins to emerge from the recession, more apprenticeship opportunities exist, said Chris Fridel, Assistant Training Director at the Electrical Training Center. "Apprenticeships can be the first step in a successful and well-paying career that does not necessitate a college degree, or a large college debt," he added.

 

For those whose math and reading skills do not meet the minimum standards for apprenticeships, or need other work readiness training, pre-apprenticeship training helps bridge that gap, said Cathy Metcalf of CLASS.

The Apprenticeship Fair was organized by the Greater Cincinnati Building and Constructions Trades Council, the SWORWIB, SuperJobs Center and the Greater Cincinnati Apprenticeship Council.


4 named to Youth Perspective Team

 

Four young people are joining the Emerging Workforce Development Council as Youth Perspective members. These young people are currently enrolled in programs offered by one of our contracted youth service providers, or they are graduates of the programs. Each has agreed to attend at least one EWDC meeting a year, and the Youth Perspective team will meet twice a year separately with Kathleen Williams, Youth Coordinator for the SWORWIB. "The members of our Youth Perspective Team will share their insights about the programs they are enrolled in," said Williams. "What works well? What could we be be doing better? What are we missing? We expect to learn some valuable things from these young people."

 

Cortez and Ashley
Cortez Adams and Ashley Morrow

Introducing:

 

Cortez Adams, 18, a senior at Western Hills University High School, enrolled in CYC/Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates (JCG). Adams joined JCG this year. "It's a good program," he said," and JCG helped connect me to jobs." Adams is currently working as a cashier and stocker at United Dairy Farmers, and also found a job as a security guard with Whelan Security. One of the most valuable components of the JCG program, he said, is its emphasis on volunteerism. The JCG team at Western Hills has done volunteer work for blood drives, breast cancer awareness, Toys for Tots, and Superstorm Sandy. "It's good to give a helping hand," Adams said. Adams is planning to attend Texas College in Tyler, Texas, on a football scholarship, where he will major in education and minor in criminal justice. At JCG's recent citywide competition, Adams came in third in the interviewing category.

 

Ashley Morrow, 18, is also a senior at Western Hills and also in the JCG program. Morrow said that JCG's promise to connect its students to jobs sold her on the program. She is currently working two jobs while completing her senior year: occasional work with Whelan Security and 20 hours a week at the DHL hub in Erlanger, where she works the third shift several nights a week. "I enjoyed the volunteer work we did through JCG," Morrow said. "The workshops that JCG offered helped prepare me for a job, especially to be a team player." Morrow plans to attend UC-Blue Ash, where she will major in liberal arts. She recently placed third in public speaking at JCG's citywide competition.

 

Shaquille Brown, 20, is enrolled in Easter Seals TriState and is graduating this week from P.A.C.E. High School. Brown, who lives with an aunt who is the legal guardian for several of Brown's cousins, enrolled in Easter Seals TriState in September 2012 after meeting with case manager Sharon Brooks. His attendance at P.A.C.E had been somewhat erratic, but he got back on track. "Easter Seals kept me focused on the hard work behind what I needed to do to graduate," he said. Brown is scheduled to take Work Keys assessments, and then to enroll in either the Manufacturing Skill Standards program or Construction Collaborative at Easter Seals. His goal to to get and keep a good job and help his aunt. "Sharon has taught me how to conduct myself, act professionally - something I can teach my brothers," he said.

 

Tyrone Glenn, 24, enrolled in Literacy Center West in 2010. He had his GED but could not figure out a way to get on a better career path. "I was tired of going from job to job," he said. When he entered the front door of LCW, he knew it could be a different experience. "They cared," he said. "I wasn't just there to sign forms." Glenn worked with Thanapat Vichticot, LCW's job developer, who urged Glenn to continue his education. Today Glenn is at Cincinnati State, studying toward an Associate's degree in power systems engineering, while also working six days a week at Xerox in Erlanger, Ky.

CityLink, SuperJobs work together

 

City Link
Executive Director Johnmark Oudersluys, left; Program Director Dani Watkins, and Facilities Manager Marcus Gibson at CityLink.

Even on the dreariest of Cincinnati days, natural light floods CityLink Center, one of Cincinnati's newest organizations dedicated to helping the working poor.

 

The beautiful space reflects CityLink's philososphy, which is "to create a space that inspires and honors our clients," said Johnmark Oudersluys, Executive Director of the faith-based organization. "We want people to be proud to be here."

 

In the works for several years, CityLink, located on Bank Street close to the SuperJobs Center, opened last November. "We focus on stabilizing individuals who seek advancement but need support," said Oudersluys in a presentation to the SWORWIB at its May 9 meeting. Oudersluys is a member of the SWORWIB, and board members were invited to tour CityLink at the end of the May quarterly board meeting.

 

CityLink, with 20 partner churches, provides a holistic range of services in one setting, making it easier for its customers to navigate those services. Its partners include Cincinnati Public Schools' Adult Education, Cincinnati Works, Cincinnati State, SmartMoney Community Services, and Changing Gears. CityLink also leverages its network of 300 dedicated and expert volunteers, Oudersluys said. CityLink provides child care and will provide health and wellness services to its clients. It has a bright and airy caf� -- where customers can take cooking classes, even utilizing produce from CityLink's learning garden.

 

In its first quarter, CityLink served 222 individuals, Oudersluys said.

 

CityLink and the SuperJobs Center have forged a close relationship, said Oudersluys, referring customers to each other. Customers can get complementary services at each, with CityLink able to sustain a longer-term relationship, he said. "We are exploring other ways to collaborate," he noted.

High fives for spring Construction Clubs
 
Construction Club
Westwood student Mikiahya Greene
Another year of Construction Club has zoomed by, with Summer Camp right around the corner. Spring Quarter Clubs were held at Evanston Academy and Westwood Elementary.
 

At Westwood, where two of the volunteer contractors had attended elementary school, one of the girls wore a button that the Cincinnati Energy Alliance had given her two weeks before. The dismissal monitor told Construction Advocate Anne Mitchell that she had never seen the students take to a program like they did to Construction Club, and she thought that was so ironic because "you're making 'em work!"  Students' average scores went from 4.8 on the pretest to 7.8 on the post-test.

 

At Evanston, parents stopped in unannounced just to see, with their own eyes, that their pre-teens were doing construction work. One proud dad recognized a volunteer contractor from his church, and was a little choked up as he thanked him for the effect the program had had on his son. The school's art teacher stayed every week on her own time to help. On the first day, some of the students were reluctant to get into the work, but by the end they spontaneously thanked Mitchell for everything, and their test scores came up by an average 1.5 points out of ten.

 

Summer Camp begins June 3 at Roberts Academy in Price Hill, where 18 students will build a tool shed in support of the school's community garden project. 
Short takes
Workforce Matters meets in Cincinnati     
Workforce Matters and SKM
Workforce Matters, a consortium of foundations that fund workforce investment and development programs across the United State, convened a meeting in Cincinnati May 8-9. Above, Jennifer Phillips of Workforce Matters, Sherry Kelley Marshall, and Jonathan Njus, Program Officer with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, at dinner at the 21C Hotel Cincinnati.
CYC/JCG honors top youth

Individual excellence and excellent team work were both honored at Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates 30th annual Career Development Conference April 25 at the Sharonville Convention Center. Among those placing in the top tier were youth whose services are funded through the Workforce Investment Act. They include: Public Speaking: Shannon Chambers, Aiken, 1st place; Ashley Morrow, Western Hills, 3rd place; Students for Service: Antonio Harris, Taft, 1st place; Tim Moss, Winton Woods, 2nd place; Chad Scudder, Oyler, 3rd place; Cover Design: Danielle Huffaker, Western Hills, 1st place; Employment Skills Testing: Brandon Hoover, Finneytown, 1st place; Errienna McKenzie, Winton Woods, 2nd place; La'Tasheana Jones, Taft, 3rd place; Application Techniques: Lyala Perkins, Finneytown, 2nd place; Interviewing: Dominique Jackson, Taft, 1st place; Cortez Adams, Western Hills, 3rd place. In state competitions for Jobs for Ohio Graduates, Huffaker won first place in Cover Design; Chambers second place in Public Speaking; and Jackson second place in Interviewing. Congratulations to all the winners!

  

Marshall presents at Columbus May workforce conference
Sherry Kelley Marshall presented material at two workshops at the annual Ohio Job and Family Services Directors' Association conference May 16 in Columbus. Ohio E3 - Linking Employment, Education and the Economy - was a joint presentation of Marshall, Trevor Hamilton of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, and Geoff Smith of the CIO Roundtable. Marshall also presented a workshop on Employer Engagement, which included WIB directors Alice StephensBert Cene and Ron Meade.

The power of volunteering

The Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association recently acknowledged Joy Lovejoy for her management of the organization's talent acquisition survey. Lovejoy, a communications professional who lost her job in a restructuring in November 2010, recently completed the Platform to Employment program, which focuses on helping the long-term unemployed get back into the workforce. Volunteering is one of the techniques that P2E encourages; it allows those who are unemployed to freshen their skills, circulate their names, and add current information to their resumes. Paul Wehner of GCHRA, who emailed the results of the survey to GCHRA's members, said that Lovejoy was seeking a new position, and that he would be glad to share her contact information -- showing how the networking that comes through volunteer work has the potential to pay off for those who are unemployed. 

 

In the news

 

Sen. Portman introduces workforce training legislation

 

Teens line up outside Urban League for summer jobs program

 

Brutal job search for long-term unemployed

Contact:
Kathleen Williams, Youth/Public Information Coordinator
kwilliams@gccc.com
    Twitter   LinkedIn