Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tweet[IWS] MDRC: ENGAGING LOW-WAGE WORKERS in CAREER ADVANCEMENT [December 2008]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
MDRC
Moving from Jobs to Careers:
Engaging Low-Wage Workers in Career Advancement [December 2008]
Betsy L. Tessler, David Seith, and Zawadi Rucks
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/505/full.pdf
[full-text, 81 pages]
Contents
Overview iii
List of Exhibits vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Chapter
1 Introduction 1
2 The WASC Demonstration and Evaluation 7
3 Marketing and Recruitment Strategies 13
4 Why Low-Wage Workers Volunteered for WASC 21
5 Advancement Coaching 27
6 Work Supports 37
7 Sustained Engagement 45
8 Next Steps 55
Appendix: Selected Characteristics of Sample Members 57
References 65
Earlier MDRC Publications on the Work Advancement and Support Center Demonstration 67
OVERVIEW
Moving from Jobs to Careers:
Engaging Low-Wage Workers in Career Advancement [December 2008]
Betsy L. Tessler, David Seith, and Zawadi Rucks
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/505/overview.html
The Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) demonstration presents a new approach to helping low-wage and dislocated workers take strategic steps to advance by increasing their wages or work hours, upgrading their skills, or finding better jobs. At the same time, these workers are encouraged to increase and stabilize their income in the short term by making the most of available work supports, such as food stamps, public health insurance, subsidized child care, and tax credits for eligible low-income families. The WASC program located mostly in the One-Stop Career Centers created by the Workforce Investment Act is being delivered by integrated teams of workforce and human services professionals in four sites: Dayton, Ohio; San Diego, California; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Fort Worth, Texas. Based on interviews with staff and focus groups with WASC customers, this report presents preliminary information on the effectiveness of strategies that were used to attract people to the WASC program, engage them in services, and keep them engaged over time.
Key Findings
* Recruitment of low-wage workers for a voluntary postemployment program must be resourced with sufficient staff and funding to reach and engage people while also having the capacity to immediately begin providing services for those who are enrolled in the program.
* Advancement programs for low-wage workers should be prepared to help participants get the training necessary to move into a new career. Most WASC participants preferred to leave their jobs and move into a new career rather than seek more hours or a promotion in their current job.
* Cash incentives may be an effective way to sustain engagement in a postemployment program like WASC and possibly to encourage completion of education or training.
* Most focus group participants took up the work supports for which they were eligible and appreciated the ease of addressing all work support issues in the same office with staff people with whom they had a relationship.
* WASC participants most appreciated coaching that combined knowledgeable guidance with a strong rapport. They deeply valued the role of coach as a motivator and a source of encouragement.
A report describing the complete implementation story based on additional interviews and survey data as well as early results of the program will be completed in early 2009.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
MDRC
Moving from Jobs to Careers:
Engaging Low-Wage Workers in Career Advancement [December 2008]
Betsy L. Tessler, David Seith, and Zawadi Rucks
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/505/full.pdf
[full-text, 81 pages]
Contents
Overview iii
List of Exhibits vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Chapter
1 Introduction 1
2 The WASC Demonstration and Evaluation 7
3 Marketing and Recruitment Strategies 13
4 Why Low-Wage Workers Volunteered for WASC 21
5 Advancement Coaching 27
6 Work Supports 37
7 Sustained Engagement 45
8 Next Steps 55
Appendix: Selected Characteristics of Sample Members 57
References 65
Earlier MDRC Publications on the Work Advancement and Support Center Demonstration 67
OVERVIEW
Moving from Jobs to Careers:
Engaging Low-Wage Workers in Career Advancement [December 2008]
Betsy L. Tessler, David Seith, and Zawadi Rucks
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/505/overview.html
The Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) demonstration presents a new approach to helping low-wage and dislocated workers take strategic steps to advance by increasing their wages or work hours, upgrading their skills, or finding better jobs. At the same time, these workers are encouraged to increase and stabilize their income in the short term by making the most of available work supports, such as food stamps, public health insurance, subsidized child care, and tax credits for eligible low-income families. The WASC program located mostly in the One-Stop Career Centers created by the Workforce Investment Act is being delivered by integrated teams of workforce and human services professionals in four sites: Dayton, Ohio; San Diego, California; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Fort Worth, Texas. Based on interviews with staff and focus groups with WASC customers, this report presents preliminary information on the effectiveness of strategies that were used to attract people to the WASC program, engage them in services, and keep them engaged over time.
Key Findings
* Recruitment of low-wage workers for a voluntary postemployment program must be resourced with sufficient staff and funding to reach and engage people while also having the capacity to immediately begin providing services for those who are enrolled in the program.
* Advancement programs for low-wage workers should be prepared to help participants get the training necessary to move into a new career. Most WASC participants preferred to leave their jobs and move into a new career rather than seek more hours or a promotion in their current job.
* Cash incentives may be an effective way to sustain engagement in a postemployment program like WASC and possibly to encourage completion of education or training.
* Most focus group participants took up the work supports for which they were eligible and appreciated the ease of addressing all work support issues in the same office with staff people with whom they had a relationship.
* WASC participants most appreciated coaching that combined knowledgeable guidance with a strong rapport. They deeply valued the role of coach as a motivator and a source of encouragement.
A report describing the complete implementation story based on additional interviews and survey data as well as early results of the program will be completed in early 2009.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 3:51 PM
