Utilization

General:

It is the intent of the New Mexico Trains program to fully document its operations and organize its program materials so that it can serve as a model for other such programs nationwide. We expect that we will be able to outline a step-by-step process to identify labor market conditions and match them with them of employability standards as determined by the major employers in the regions. In addition we expect to show the value and delivering training a variety of ways, both technology driven and instructor led, as determined by the needs of the individual. The addition of the job mentor/coach is expected also to provide invaluable information and assistance in meeting the needs of hard to place individuals.
In order to assist other organizations, we will provide:

  • A narrative report describing the project and the experience we had implementing it.
  • Best Practices evolving from our experiences.
  • A set of operation guidelines to replicate each component or to participate in the use if the web portal.

Labor market conditions:
We believe that by approaching the regional markets with an understanding of industry needs and approaching potential employees 4hrough a combination of appropriate training and job and coaching, we can achieve a higher level of employment for these individuals and reduced turnover at employer locations in rural New Mexico.

Technology:
The Trains program will develop a training portal for electronic online training. Our experience with delivery of these programs online will serve as an important component in assisting other programs. The portal will be designed so that it can be used by other organizations needing to deliver similar services. Licenses can be negotiated that will allow us all to provide the service in an extremely cost effective manner.

Job coaches/mentors:

We believe too that in many cases it will be important to have a job approach/mentor assigned to individuals to assist them in completion of educational programs to reach minimum employability standards and to continue the process of education. Utilizing whatever tools we can make available, we want to move them on in their careers and opened their entry-level jobs for new employees. While the coaching organizations that we utilize will not be available for other programs to use nationwide, we can establish guidelines for these types of services and iinl~ges required for the program to be successful in other areas.

STATEMENT OF WORK

Target group to be served

This project will serve dislocated workers who meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Have been notified of a layoff or already are laid off from work due to lack of work or a facility closure; have exhausted unemployment benefits;
  • Have worked a significant period of time but are not eligible for unemployment because of insufficient earnings or the employer was not covered under a State unemployment law;
  • Are unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation;
  • Were self-employed and closed business because of general economic conditions, meaning no market for the product or service;
  • Are displaced homemakers dependent on a family income that is no longer available and are unemployed;
  • Are eligible for unemployment benefits, but take a temporary job, sometimes called a subsistence job, making at least 80 percent less than what they made before;
  • Are a new entrant into the workforce-this includes young adults (19 years and over), welfare recipients, disabled persons, and others with limited work histories, but who could, under the demonstration training program, work and be self-sufficient.

Services to be provided

  • The NM Trains program will offer a more comprehensive approach to job placement by using an industry specific approach to the problem. The Hardmark Grant has specifically identified the telecommunication/technology industries as our target industries. We will focus on the current telecommunications industry (Call Center and telecom technician) needs followed by the technical jobs required to support those companies in rural New Mexico. This will require close cooperation with existing employers in identifying minimum employability standards and establishing an agreement as to how our assessment tools results equate to their standards. We will also attempt to develop employment forecasts from these employers.
  • We will provide advanced assessments that give a meaningful picture of the participants ability to meet various employers expectations. If participants fall short of the standards required for a specific job category, we will provide training necessary to bring them up to that standard. Each participant will then participate in an Individual Learning Map to give him a direction for his career.
  • Training will be provided both for remedial purposes to bring a participant up to employable standards and to provide for advancement toward career goals that result in higher pay and more rewarding work. This process will also cause a role in entry level jobs to accommodate for the never ending flow of new entrants into the labor pool. The training will be available as both instructor led and electronically delivered training. We hope to drive training as low into the community as possible by providing web based training, but understand that there will be a part of our participant population that is unable to use the technology delivered programming or need the attention afforded by an instructor.
  • Job Coaching and mentoring well be provided to each participant to help them implement their individual learning map plan. This coach/mentor will work with the participant to see that education components are completed, that the transition to the demands of a new job is carried out, and that the participant continues his education using the tools available. I many jobless population groups, this function is invaluable.
  • A Mobile Response Team will be available to move into crisis areas to assist with assessment, training, and job development.
  • One-stop core participant services will include those allowed under Section 134(d)(2) and 20 CFR 662.220 and through collaboration with local Work Force Boards.
  • Intensive services identified in Sections 1 17(d)(2)(D) and 134 (d)3)(B), will be provided via a certified service provider. Additionally, the provider will deliver intensive assessment for the call center occupation and an on-going comprehensive case management approach with participants and employers to assure the successful completion of training, transition to work, and retention of participants in their employment.
  • Supportive services will include child care and transportation assistance. Relocation assistance may be provided on a limited basis only when the participant has a written offer of employment.

Workplan / time schedule / deliverables

Tasks/Work plan

As designated entity to implement this project, the New Mexico Telecommunications and Call Center Training Consortium, New Mexico Trains, will assume the following administrative and programmatic responsibilities.

Administrative responsibilities:

  • Develop referral system with local One-Stop.
  • Conduct monitoring and oversight of project.
  • Provide required fiscal and program reports to USDOL.
  • Provide training and policies required for the successful implementation of this project to project partners.
  • Report progress of the project to the State Workforce Development Board and Local Workforce Development Boards on a monthly basis.

Programmatic responsibilities:

Needs Analysis - Step 1

In each target community a comprehensive needs analysis will be completed. This analysis will be community and industry specific in nature, focusing on the human resource competency needs of the businesses establishing telecommunications/IT operations. The needs analysis will result in detailed job analysis profiles of entry level jobs within these companies. Included in this analysis will be the completion of a profile of basic academic skills, employability skills, work-related foundation skills such as computer literacy and communications. In addition, an outline of the career progression levels, and criteria, in terms of competency and experience requirements also will be determined. Critical to the success of this initiative will be identification of employment barriers of high-risk individuals, also a component of this analysis: Finally, as part of this analysis existing telecommunications/IT companies will be asked to share experiences employing high-risk adults in their operations. Specifically, these companies will be asked to detail "key success factors" that they have noticed at the individual employee, support agency, and company levels that make a difference in the hiring, retention and job progression of high-risk adults. In addition, thru this process we expect to develop a reasonably accurate forecast of potential hiring needs for twelve to twenty four months.

Community Skills Assessments - Step 2

In developing critical data for proper coordination of training programs, targeted skills assessments perform an essential function. It is the first step in establishing a baseline for community specific training activities and a benchmark against which future performance can be measured. The Consortium will coordinate industry specific skills assessments with identified industry targets and employers in collaboration with local economic development councils and officials. It is anticipated that both call center assessments and a more general telecommunications/technology based skills assessment will be conducted in each targeted community.

In order to obtain broad based community wide data, these skills assessments will be kicked off with a "skills assessment expo", drawing from a broad cross-section of the community's workforce. These expos will include assessments that will include pre-event technical support, onsite test review/counseling of all tested individuals, and the completion of a comprehensive report on the quality and quantity of the local labor force and its ability to qualify for call center or other targeted industry employment.

In addition to providing key data on the community, skills assessments perform a key role for the individual who participates in the assessment.

Job coaching will be a key provision in services offered to the individual who seeks placement assistance through a "gateway" to employment such as a state "one-stop" shop, community expo, or the consortium's web based portal.

This project will use a multi-faceted assessment strategy prior to clients entering the program to ensure the right job choice is made, and to determine the aptitude and basic prerequisites skill levels. These standardized assessments will result in the development of an Individualized Learning Map(ILM). The ThM for each trainee will itemize the specific competencies, processes and duration of all formalized training to be conducted on site or in the local college or university to facilitate the trainee's growth to "certified" level for the chosen industry. The ILM will be used by both the trainee and advisor as a progress chart to show completion of individual competencies and key milestones in the training component of the program.

Database -Step 3

The project will take advantage of a database program designed to specifically met the needs of the project. This database will track a number of components including, participant intake information, assessment results, ILM milestones, community profiles, jobs forecasts, retention data, and community labor conditions. It is our intent to be able to create an overlay of where the workers are and where the jobs are to allow us to better serve the individual needs of a community. This information can then be used to assist economic development agencies in their recruitment efforts.

Recruitment and Outreach -Step 4

An aggressive outreach program will provide awareness to the potential workforce. To this end, a series of informational sessions and workshops will be conducted in each targeted community. When targeting the dislocated and incumbent workers in the community, as well as new entrants into the workforce, the Consortium will utilize all available resources and partnerships. The NMDOL will provide initial information on registered jobs seekers and welfare recipients. Additional outreach methods and venues include job fairs, classifieds, churches, food kitchens/shelters, criminal justice system, community centers, and the local chamber of commerce and economic development organization. Educational institutions can play a role in recruitment through new student enrollment and through the local high schools. Involved in these sessions will be federal and state government agency officials and community stakeholders such as boards and associations. This will ensure input from these groups is incorporated into the database, and that these groups are informed about their role in supporting the proposed initiative.

The project will include the establishment of a system for ongoing and follow-up labor analysis and labor database development, market analysis, network analysis and identification of barriers to employment. This will serve as a key component of a strategy for development of student/employer linkages - specifically designed as a method of student recruitment, including web-based marketing of training and employment opportunities.

Training Infrastructure - Step 5

The Consortium will implement a training infrastructure to deliver services based on three models: (1) community based; (2) on-line via the web based portal; (3) via a Mobile Implementation Team designed specifically to be deployed in communities with recent layoffs and/or new industry locations. Each of these models includes specific strategies for both design of content and delivery of services.

A common infrastructure for delivery of job coaching and mentoring services will be centrally located with access to all data systems and both community based projects and individuals accessing services via the portal.

Community Based Training:

Upon completion of the dislocated worker / available jobs overlay, specific "targeted" communities will be identified and provided with "on-site" operations. One-stop shops will serve as a base of operations in each targeted community, and will be provided with resources for generic and industry specific skills assessments, job coaching, and training.

Delivery of site based training will be performed in conjunction with the Community Colleges throughout the state. Where the location of the Community Colleges does not meet with our needs, high schools and the Cooperative Extension Service training labs will be utilized with teaching staff from the educational community. Services will also be offered "on site" in partnership with the local employer.

Portal -

The Portal will be designed as a multi-functional tool to serve both the employee and employer alike. For the individual, it will provide access to information resources necessary to become part of the N.M. Trains program. It will provide contact information, applications, online skills assessment, job postings, training courses, certification information as well as links to other pertinent sites. Through collaboration, the portal will offer courseware for a wide range of skills development. Everything from basic remedial courses to IT certification will be available to not only help with entry into a new career but to aid in advancement as part of an individuals ILM. For the employer it will offer a place to post openings, communicate with potential employees and develop a close working relationship with various projects working to improve the quality of life for New Mexicans.

The portal will use a web based interface and standard XML format to insure portability. All services delivered will use off the shelf applications software with well documented development notes so that maintenance costs can be kept at a minimum. Development of this product will focus on delivery capabilities into the analog modem market recognizing the limitations of the telecommunications infrastructure in many rural areas.

Mobile Implementation Team

Identification of the location of eligible worker populations and the location of eligible and available jobs is key to targeting training activities in an established setting. However, labor markets are constantly in a state of flux and are by nature very fluid. In order to be able to respond to changes in the labor market, the Consortium has established a Mobile Implementation Team led by the state Field Director, and comprised of persons, both on staff and under contract, with expertise in community audits and skills assessments, collaboration with employers and educational institutions, and ability to build community consensus and local teams with local knowledge who can best prepare a well defined local project in a very short time.

The ability to leverage the resources of the portal as a tool for local assessments and initial training modules in employability core competencies is an advantage of the Consortium over other traditional job training initiatives.

Implementation - Step 6

The steps identified as key components for implementing the project are as follows:

  1. Compose the operations team - The team identified as essential for the project's success includes all pertinent staff (as identified above), all contract service providers, and all strategic partners as identified in the MOA process (educational partners such as community colleges and private sector vendors, community based organizations, "One-stop Shops", local workforce development boards, and employers).

    Items for development by Consortium and its strategic partners will include design and implementation of the training portal - to include skills assessments, on-line learning modules, information about employment in the chosen fields for prospective trainees and information about training services and the potential labor pool for prospective employers. Partners will also share responsibility for web hosting services, development and conversion of course curriculum, mentoring and job coaching services, and performance of intake and monitoring services.

  2. Develop and roll out the outreach plan - Visibility for the consortium activities, coupled with a quality product, will in the end dictate its success. The consortium is developing a brand image and outreach strategy to establish visibility for its products and services. As stated above, a variety of venues will be utilized to provide awareness to the prospective workforce as well as employer-partners. The portal, information sessions and workshops, job expos, NM "one- stop shops", educational institutions, and local publicity through economic development organizations and chambers of commerce will all play strategic roles in providing access to both trainees and employers.

  3. Conduct the statewide environmental scan (to include a survey of existing efforts and the eligible trainee /job overlay) - With the assistance of the state Department of Labor and local and state economic development organizations, a map depicting locations of dislocated worker populations will be developed and regularly updated. That map will be coupled with a map depicting available job placement opportunities in the targeted industries. This overlay will be a key to deploying resources where they are needed most, and in establishing operational bases for the consortium.

  4. Target chosen communities for the "site based" operations - Based on the worker/job overlay, and prospective new employment activities, communities will be targeted for consortium activities, marketing, and development of strategic partnerships. These targeted communities will serve as one of the three main focal points for consortium activities along with the portal activities and mobile implementation team.

  5. Secure MOAs with community based organizations, educational partners and employers in the targeted communities - As stated above, the deployment of a training curriculum and delivery model will only be effective "if it is seen as such by the prospective employer. For this reason, specific MOAs will be developed with selected "employer-partners" in the targeted fields to identify the deliverables which will have inherent value to the employers. Additionally, the partnership with local and regional workforce development boards will insure an integrated process void of duplication and redundancy and capable of leveraging limited resources. Finally, MOAs with local educational institutions will enable the consortium to have partners '~on the ground" in targeted communities with a real life understanding of the local labor markets and opportunities.

  6. Develop and establish the intake process to be used in each targeted community - As a key member to the consortium staff, a contractor or employee with expertise in proper knowledge of the "dislocated worker" eligibility criteria and available job opportunities, consistent with the prospective trainees capabilities, will be placed in each targeted community. This contractor or employee will be responsible for compliance with program guidelines and with working closely with local "one- stop" shops and workforce development boards. His value as both a 'job coach" and resource for the local employer-partner will be critical. Consortium staff will develop policies and procedures to be implemented in the targeted community.

  7. Conduct needs assessments and community audits in the chosen communities (to include skills assessments and job coaching activities) - Prior to commencing specific training activities, and in concurrence with development of the above mentioned MOAs, an assessment of both employer needs and the community wide "job expo" will be conducted to insure value is provided to both employer and trainee in both content and delivery of content in the community. Core competencies and specific gaps which the employer may have identified in the local workforce will be identified and designed into the local program curriculum. A database of local skills and gaps, identified through the local expo, will serve as a baseline for future testing and program validation.

  8. Integrate the employability skills and company specific training curriculum with the chosen employers / partners - Design of the specific training components and curriculum will be performed by the consortium and its training partners upon completion of the assessments and expo in each community.

  9. Conduct developed training activities - Selection of training locations, trainers, and oversight of local training programs will be established and implemented in each community within 15 days of completion of the local needs assessment and expo.

  10. Place certified employees in new job positions - Length of training will be contingent upon program and curriculum design in partnership with the local employer. Upon completion of training and certification of the trainee, the individual learning map will be updated and mentoring/job coaching will be continued as the trainee is placed in employment with the employer-partner.

Concurrent activities:

  1. Develop and roll out the "learning portal" - Similar in design to the "community based activities, the portal will, however, perform a dual role. The portal will serve as a key element in the program's marketing and will provide initial information to both the prospective trainee and employer about the initiative and its strategies. It will provide insight into the industries and job benefits, career opportunities, and placement opportunities for the trainees. It will provide information to prospective employer-partners about the program and its value to them. It will serve as the repository for databases developed on each targeted community as well as local MOAs. It will also incorporate specific strategies for intake monitoring and customized skills assessments for the "on-line" applicant. While there can be no guarantee that job opportunities in the targeted field will exist in the "on-line" trainee's community, information will be provide on nearby opportunities and job coaching will be provided to assist the trainee in identifying an appropriate job match.

    The consortium will focus on development of both content and delivery/access via the portal to the prospective trainee.
  2. Develop and deploy the "mobile implementation team - Under the direction of the state Field Director, and comprised of persons, both on staff and under contract, with expertise in community audits and skills assessments, collaboration with employers and educational institutions, and ability to build community consensus and local teams with local knowledge who can best prepare a well defined local project in a very short time, the mobile implementation team will be responsible for development and implementation of all the critical components identified in the "community based" activities listed above.

    The team will also be designed to work in close collaboration with the NMDOL "rapid response team" where dislocations occur in the workforce, and with local economic development organizations where new targeted industry locations and job opportunities appear.

Research / Evaluation

To ensure that participants are successfully served by the project, close follow up and monitoring will be conducted. The three major negotiated Workforce Investment Act statewide performance indicators for dislocated workers will be utilized as the standard for outcomes. These levels are 70 for entered employment rate, 80 for employment retention rate, and 85 for earnings change in six months. These indicators will be automatically available though the UI wage record system for those participants enrolling through the WIA system in the One Stop Career Centers.

Realizing that the performance system has a significant time lag, more timely evaluation of progress will be made through systematic follow up of participants. Data will be kept on a current basis of number of participants enrolled, placed in jobs, and wages at placement. On going analysis will be made to identify and correct any potential problems.

The purpose of this research and evaluation is to determine the net impact and cost effectiveness of the project in reaching its program goals. We will evaluate operational aspects as well as the impact it has on participants and employers. It is our expectation that this effort will result in a road map for deployment of industry specific job placement programs for use in other programs nationwide.

We will begin by the designing and operating a comprehensive data collection and management system. Special attention paid to the security of participant data, but aggregate reports will be available to our partners for assistance in managing their part of program. Not only will be provide required USDOL reports but use the data to identify and quantify such things as barriers to employment, the effectiveness of the pre- employment training, the effectiveness of advanced training, effectiveness of electronically delivered programming, consistency in training programs over large geographic areas, reviews of video teleconferencing for education, and much more.

The data will be collected from our partners and participants, either through online reporting capabilities or collected by the field manager. Overall data management will be overseen by the administrative manager. For the management of this function will be born in our administrative budget.

Sustainability

In looking at the need for sustainability to meet the needs of the workforce in New Mexico, and in order to establish a replicable model of targeted training/employment partnerships which can serve similar populations nationally, the Consortium has analyzed the potential for sustainability. It has developed a model which includes (1) modification of the state's credit funding formula, (2) added value for the employer/partners by providing billable services for more than program eligible candidates, (3) potential staffing agency functions and partnerships, and (4) community college partnerships in the development and marketing of training programs, as well as (5) leveraging of resources of the regional workforce development boards.

The design of MOAs between the consortium and (1) employers, (2) workforce development boards, and (3) local educational institutions is a reflection of and key component to the model's success. Whereas many training initiatives have engaged in conversations with and conducted analyses of employer needs, funding formulas, restrictive program guidelines, as well as entrenched business models have prohibited such efforts from incorporating flexibility and innovative concepts in their business models. The consortium is developing a set of guidelines and a budget model to identify revenue streams and valuable services to meet the needs of industry and provide sustainability for the initiative.

Phase Out

It is our goal to continue this program after the Federal Grant is complete. The Grant completion will be marked by the completion of a detailed report on program implementation, experiences and a blueprint explaining how to use this project as a model to successfully target other industry groups. Once the Grant is closed out, this program will continue with revenues from services provided to employers and through other revenue producing activities.