1 The Work Readiness Indicator Measuring Progress of WIA Youth December 1-2, 2009 – Dallas, Texas

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 2 Presenters  Evan Rosenberg, Division of Youth Services, Employment and Training Administration, Dept. of Labor

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 3 Today’s Agenda A) The Work Readiness Indicator (WRI) What happened this summer? B) How Did We Measure Work Readiness? Concepts and Examples of Tools C) Where Do We Go From Here? Your Turn: Informing the System

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 4 RECAP: Defining Work Readiness  The Work Readiness Skills Goal, as specified in TEGL No includes a measurable increase in work readiness skills including: –World-of-work awareness, labor market knowledge, occupational information, career planning and decision making, and job search skills –Independent living skills, positive work habits, attitudes and behaviors, showing initiative and reliability, and assuming the responsibilities involved in maintaining a job –The definition of a Work Readiness Skills Goal, as specified in TEGL No , Attachment B Definition of Key Terms found at 05_AttachB.pdf 05_AttachB.pdf

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 5 RECAP: Work Readiness under ARRA  Any youth in summer employment funded by the Recovery Act were included in the work readiness indicator, even if a youth receives services beyond summer or before summer  The work readiness portion of the WIA skill attainment rate was the primary indicator used for youth who participate in “summer employment” only and are only being served with Recovery Act funds

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 6 Preliminary Work Readiness Data Thru Sept  347,782 total youth served  306,466 in summer employment  71%* Summer Employment Completion Rate  63%* Work Readiness Attainment Rate (67 % median) *In this preliminary data some states report lag in data that accounts for lower rates than expected

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 7 Work Readiness Attainment Rate Preliminary State Data thru Sept. 2009*  State Range:High: 95%; Low: 3%*  Over 90%: Florida, New Hampshire, & Rhode Island  Over 80%: 12 states  Over 60%: 30 states  %:11 states  Under 40%: Nine states *In this preliminary data some states report lag in data that accounts for lower rates than expected

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 8 GAO Report Findings Work Readiness under ARRA  Observational Success, But Difficult to Measure “While many program officials, employers, and participants we spoke with believe the summer youth activities have been successful, measuring actual outcomes has proven challenging and may reveal little about what the summer activities achieved.”  More Consistency = More Comparability: “the methodologies used to measure work readiness varied widely, calling into question the comparability and the usefulness of the indicator when rolled up at the national level.”  The Illinois Exception: “Of the 10 states, only Illinois established a single approach to be used statewide in measuring work readiness gains.”

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 9 GAO Report Findings Work Readiness under ARRA  Cited Local Example: “youth… were given a 20-question true-false survey that included questions such as “I understand the importance of demonstrating a positive attitude in the workplace.’”  Outcomes Beyond Work Readiness Indicator: “Seven of our 10 states reported they plan to track long-term outcomes, such as job placement and employment retention, for at least some of the youth they served this summer”

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 10 The Department of Labor Response to the GAO Report  DOL’s Future Plans: “The Department plans to further refine the work readiness indicator and determine a more effective way of measuring work readiness.”  Further Guidance: “In the event that a significant number of local areas have Recovery Act funds available for summer employment in 2010, or if the Dept. receives funds for future summer employment activities…, the dept. will issue further guidance for measuring work readiness that allows for the reporting of more consistent and meaningful data.”  Future TA: “In either case, the Dept. will provide technical assistance to states and local areas on effective ways to measure work readiness based on the information learned this summer and further research on best practices.”

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 11 Future of the Work Readiness Indicator  More RIGOR – while maintaining an efficient process  More CONSISTENCY – while respecting diversity of program models  More MEANINGFUL – in measuring impact of summer program experience – based on dual customer approach of employers and youth WRI: Where do we go from here?

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 12 What Employers Want Most from Young Workers Skill GroupSpecific Work Readiness Goals 1) WORK ETHIC/ PROFESSIONALISM Attendance and punctuality Workplace appearance Accepting direction and constructive criticism Positive attitude, motivation, and initiative Demonstrating personal accountability 2) TEAMWORK/ COLLABORATION Build relationships with colleagues/customers Work with diverse teams Manage and negotiate conflicts 3) COMMUNICATION Oral: effectively articulate thoughts & ideas Non-Verbal Communication Written Communication 4) PROBLEM-SOLVING /CRITICAL THINKING Exercise sound reasoning Communicate new ideas to others Demonstrate creativity and innovation Source: CommCorp

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 13 Work Readiness Indicators 2009 Most Common Measurement Areas 2) BEHAVIOR 1) KNOWLEDGE & MINDSET 3) PORTFOLIO & TOOLS What We Measured  Mostly Observational  Training Evaluations  Work Supervisor Evaluations  Pre/mid/post Assessments  Work Readiness Checklists  Portfolio Assessments  Portfolio Checklists How We Measured It

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 14 1) Measuring KNOWLEDGE/MINDSET Enrollment Pre-Assessment Completion Post-Assessment Summer Work Experience Mid-Point Mid-Assessment

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 15 1)Measuring KNOWLEDGE/MINDSET  ___ Attitude: “I understand the importance of demonstrating a positive attitude in the workplace.”  ___ Attendance: “Employers are happy when employees stay home from work because they don’t have to pay them for days missed.”  ___ Appearance: “If you are not dressed appropriately, you will probably pass a job interview.”  ___ Career Goals: “You can state a career goal (employment or education leading to employment goal) without any assistance.”  ____ The four questions above represent effective indicators to measure a participant’s work readiness competencies. Sample Questions: True or False

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 16 1)Measuring KNOWLEDGE/MINDSET  Developed through Bureau of Workforce Development Illinois, Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity  Innovative Delivery: Utilized an online assessment tool to measure work readiness knowledge, leading to efficient, real time results.  Statewide Consistency: Tool was consistent for ALL local providers in Illinois.  Flexibility: Some local providers complemented assessment with worksite employer evaluations. Illinois workNet Statewide Example

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 17 A) In Work Readiness Training B) At the Worksite (more common) 2) Measuring BEHAVIOR Two Places to Measure Behavior Example: The Learning Employability Profile (LEP) from Seattle King County can be used in a training or worksite Example: The Massachusetts Work-based Learning Plan Can be found at

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 18  Can be used for work readiness training or worksite  Those with satisfactory/high rating are awarded a work readiness attainment.  Greatest Tool Attribute: Tool provides definitions of grading scale in effort to reduce levels of subjectivity and increase levels of comparability and consistency. 2A) Measuring BEHAVIOR Example: The Learning Employability Profile (LEP) from Seattle King County is an example of a tool used by local providers to monitor work-readiness

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 19 2A) Measuring BEHAVIOR (see Handout)

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 20  Expectations: Supervisor and young person review expectations on “Day 1”, and use tool to help define those expectations. At least two reviews take place over the summer.  Foundational Skills: Youth’s Individual Service Strategy must include at least one specific skill goal from any of the three soft skill groups: (1) Career Readiness Skills, (2) Work Ethic/Professionalism, and (3) Communication and Interpersonal Skills.  Flexibility is included for local site supervisor to include job- specific skills not addressed in the foundational soft skills 2B) Measuring BEHAVIOR at the Work Site Example: The Massachusetts Work-based Learning Plan assesses work-site behavior:

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 21 2B) Measuring BEHAVIOR Work-Site Evaluation Example (Handout)

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 22 3) PORTFOLIO & TOOLS Examples  Prepares RESUME  Completion of Cover Letters  Completion of Sample Master Application  Sample Follow-up Letter  Employer Reference (s)  Informational Interviews with Employers  Opening of Bank account  Etc.

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 23  Work-readiness tool rates 12 different personal competency areas. Six are pre-employment tasks and six are job-specific  The State of Arizona requires 5 pre-employment goals be met  Employers assess youth at completion of work experience; Youth must receive a supervisor rating of at least 80% to be considered successful 3) PORTFOLIO Building An Integrated Example (see Handout) Example: The Skill Attainment Record - Work Readiness Attainment Skills at Tuscon Youth Development is a tool that measures portfolio along with other work competency areas.

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 24 3) PORTFOLIO Building An Integrated Example

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 25 Future of the Work Readiness Indicator  More RIGOR – while maintaining an efficient process  More CONSISTENCY – while respecting diversity of program models  More MEANINGFUL – in measuring impact of summer program experience – based on dual customer approach of employers and youth WRI: Where do we go from here?

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 26 Future of the Work Readiness Indicator  Focus on proficiency more than increase in skills – whether a youth is work-ready?  Potentially require consistent, observational component from either worksite supervisor or case manager / worksite monitor.  More standardized across the country, but allow for some flexibility within parameters

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 27 Future of Performance Outcomes for Summer Employment  To Education (Secondary, Post-Sec., GED)  To Unsubsidized Employment  To Occupational Skills Training Consider a TRANSITION RATE (Transition Beyond Summer)

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 28 Question and Answer Period  What kind of work-readiness assessment tool did you use?  What did you like and dislike?

Webinar on Work Readiness Indicator ARRA Summer Employment Program 29 Question and Answer Period  What are your general thoughts or concerns about DOL providing guidance around a more consistent and rigorous work readiness indicator in the future?  What would you do if you were DOL?