Sunday, August 23, 2015

He Delivered Good Works

…my only aim is to finish the race and
complete the work the Lord Jesus has given me…
(Acts 20:24)

Every now and again, you get a call that takes you back to a simpler place and time. Yesterday, I was informed that another pillar from my childhood community was called home to glory. That news triggered thoughts of people who influenced our lives, simply by their presence.

If you ask anyone who lived on the north end of Stuttgart in the 70s or 80s about their postman, the answer is one of two names: If you lived on the east side of town, Mr. Thompkins was your mailman. If you lived on the west side, Mr. Spears delivered your mail.

My personal interaction with Mr. Spears began in fourth grade when we moved on to North Spring Street. Looking back, we lived on a section of the street with three local educators: Mrs. Austin, Mrs. Walker, and Mrs. Spears. (Thinking back, how ironic was it that the Thompkins family shared the same vocations: the wife was a teacher and the husband was a mail carrier. I guess those were the good jobs for power couples in our neighborhoods during those days)! I digress…

Back to Mr. Spears: I knew him as the mailman and our neighbor. He never said a lot to me, but his presence spoke volumes and commanded respect. I remember when our road was paved (yes, I am dating myself) and as kids, we moved our kickball or our dodge ball games from the back yards to the street because of the smoother surface, we were always careful never to allow the ball to fall into Mr. Spears yard. His grass was always cut to perfection, and no one wanted to do anything to cause his yard to look otherwise.

Life happened and we moved away from Spring Street, so I had not seen Mr. or Mrs. Spears in years. I am an avid reader of the Stuttgart Daily Leader, so last year, I was delighted to read that he was still active as a volunteer in the community (http://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/article/20140919/News/140919531). All of those years of walking his route to deliver the mail had long term benefits. The community was still prospering on the good works of men like Mr. Spears.

Yes, Mr. Spears delivered the mail. For young people like me, his presence in the Stuttgart community and his work meant so much more. Rest on, Mr. Willie Spears—your work is done.

If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Life Changing Good Works

Contribute to the needs of the saints
and seek to show hospitality.
(Romans 12:13)

In the words of Donald Lawrence: sometimes you have to encourage yourself; sometimes you have to speak victory during your tests. I understand the sense of urgency in the workforce readiness spectrum, but the reality is that Rome was not built in a day, and neither will overcoming generational deficits of workplace preparedness.

I had my aha moment of how the adrenaline high in this workforce world works. We had a candidate come through who represents the epitome of the work we are trying to accomplish: young and determined to move from a series of jobs toward a career path. He expressed interest in improving his technical skills, but he has to work to support his family now. In his current job, he earns about $11/hour. A technical program will be available for him to begin later in the fall, but hearing the story triggered a desire to help his family now. After a series of calls, we connected him with a potential opportunity that could increase his annual salary by about $10k per year. This is a single data point, but for this family, the additional income is life changing.

Before becoming personally involved in the workforce readiness movement, my perceptions of the pool of potential participants in skills training were limited to what is often portrayed in the media. I thought we would work with mostly young people with no previous work experience or with the long-termed unemployed that “life” happened to (people who have had a series of misfortunes for various reasons).

The people I meet are quite different. Most of applicants are gainfully employed and have great work history. Some have been downsized and are looking to re-tool to learn a new skill set. However, many are hardworking people who took jobs that were available at the time who are now seeking opportunities to improve the quality of life for their families. I am encouraged that the needle is moving and we will begin to see system shifts in connecting good people to good jobs, changing lives, one family at a time.

I have not heard back on whether or not the applicant has been hired by the employer to whom he was referred. I am confident that he will be victorious in changing the trajectory of the lives in his household. My prayer is that he shares his success story of working with our partner agencies with others in need who can benefit from our efforts of connecting individuals to life changing good works.

I am looking for examples of what other communities are doing to meet the needs of job seekers that are improving generational deficits in finding gainful employment. I am especially interested in best practices of introducing young people to career opportunities in manufacturing. Please share! Feel free to comment or send me an email to latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Stewards of Good Works

Whatever you do, work heartily,
as for the Lord and not for men.
(Colossians 3:23)


I have said it before, but I am blessed to operate in many dimensions, which allows me to develop perspectives from opposite sides of many situations. The morning after my last blog post on skills training programs from a job seeker's viewpoint, I was invited to visit an employer looking to improve the skills of their existing workforce. I had this ride along experience in conjunction with my new friends at the Workforce Investment Network.

My first impression of the company: This is a family owned business, employing around 300 employees. Some of the entry level jobs are material handlers or warehouse related, but the organization employs more skilled trades such as machine operators, maintenance workers, CDL drivers, etc. Located in a low-to-moderate income community, the company is known for its stewardship. They offer on-site GED classes for some of their employees who did not finish high school. The justification is to provide avenues for growth for employees looking to advance into higher wage jobs internally as a deterrent to experienced staff leaving.

For the record, these are not low wage jobs. This particular WIN business services manager was there to inform the employer of state grants available to offset training costs. She spoke of one of the on-the-job training initiatives to retool employees making less than $15 for internal advancement, and the company leadership proudly shared that few people in their organization made less than $15/hour. This company prided itself for its retention record. Once people were hired on, they rarely left because the corporation provided opportunities for team members to learn in order to earn more. In this case, the employer was looking for support in finding a provider of custom training for on-site maintenance skills development program. They wanted technical training on their processes and equipment for their incumbent staff.

Similar to something I said in a post a couple of weeks ago, this is a company that I would not have noticed as a potential employer when I was younger. The brand does not have a catchy jingle or a recognizable logo. The company does not make a product that I would ever come across in retail. However, the work environment is clean, safe, and most importantly, theirs was a company culture of teamwork and stability. It is the type of company I wish I could have worked with to gain shop floor experience.

My takeaway of this employer visit is that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of small businesses like this. Those who have the privilege of working for the company know the leadership as stewards of the community. Perhaps not a major employer in the region, the company exists as an employer of choice in the community in which it operates by those who know. They provide incentives for training and advancement not simply because they are told to; they do it because it is the right thing to do. Who are some of the stewards of good works and good jobs in your community? Feel free to comment or send me an email to latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Help for Good Works

…to whom much is given, much is required.
(Luke 12:48)

It is amazing how your perspective changes based on your exposure. Since I have become more active in workforce readiness, I view situations and see things differently than I may have in the past. Last week, I was in a big box retailer and I was so impressed with the salesman, I initiated a conversation with him about his career path. Last night, we were in a fast food restaurant and I witnessed a working mom's children in the dining area, waiting on her shift to end. My immediate response was to inquire about other types of work or skills she had. Before, I might have been oblivious to their circumstances.

Today, I am learning more about the resources available to help those in need to retool their skills and training in order to find better paying jobs. I will admit, the last time I lived in Arkansas and needed help finding a job, I referred to the agency as the “unemployment office.” Today, the assisting organization is called the Arkansas Workforce Board, which offers various programs ranging from industrial readiness training (to equip potential employees with the basic skills needed to succeed in a manufacturing or warehouse work environments) to on-the-job or incumbent worker training (to improve the employees opportunity for advancement at a specific company. Oftentimes, these training programs are of little to no cost to the employees. To find out more about Workforce Investment activities in Arkansas, visit http://workforceinvestmentworks.com/workforce_board_info.asp?st=AR. For other parts of the country, visit http://www.servicelocator.org/onestopcenters.asp.

After registering with a service center, it is important for job seekers to visit the local Workforce office and establish a relationship with the career counselors, who are available to help with navigation through the employment process. They work with the employer services team to understand the real needs of the local companies, and in many cases, have relationships with the human resources officials making hiring decisions. In other situations, they may have the ability to set up job fairs or specific training that allows motivated job seekers to personally meet prospective employers. I am a firm believer in human relations and relationships. (One of my biggest pet peeves in the reliance of algorithms to get selected as a best qualified candidate because I know that one wrongly selected keyword, or equivalent, and you will be eliminated from the possibility.) So after meeting with people like the young man and the single mother mentioned earlier, in addition to giving them my card, I also share the cards of my esteemed friends from the Workforce Investment Networks.

Since I have become more exposed to the local employment resources, I have met many people who have a passion for helping others and a mission to give back. I smile when I look at how my journey of finding my purposed work has taken me down a different path of helping others to find better paying jobs.  How are you giving people in your community information about improving their skills and finding opportunities to advance into higher wage jobs and occupations?  Feel free to comment or send me an email to latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

The Message of Good Works

If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.
(Proverbs 18:13)

I am about to get on my soap box: People are too caught up in job titles. I will be the first to admit that I have left a few organizations because my title did not reflect my perceived level of responsibility and delivered results (I am an admitted work-in-process). But this post is not about me. As I work more with the next generation of manufacturers, I realize that we are using the wrong messaging in getting students engaged or excited about job opportunities and potential careers in manufacturing.

Workforce professionals like to use occupational codes to analyze and assess the skills and training needs of for specific jobs and titles. The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) is a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) based system adopted by businesses, training and educational institutions, labor and occupational organizations, and professional associations to measure and report trends in the US labor market. The system provides a clinical and theoretical process for comparing job titles, but the words used have little to no appeal in enticing millennials to consider manufacturing careers. (For more information on occupational codes, visit https://www.onetonline.org/).

There is a lot of discussion about developing career pathways to address current and projected labor shortages. As we all know, the career pathway model preached for my generation has proven ineffective because everyone does not fit into the model of high school to four year college to career. And frankly, many well-paying jobs do not require a college degree. What success does require is a systematic approach to get to a desired outcome. So for example, a career pathway metal manufacturing suggests a student progresses through
SOC Code 51-4031           Cutting, Punching, Setting, and Tender Operator
SOC Code 51-4041           Machinist
SOC Code 51-4011           CNC Machine Tool Operator
SOC Code 51-4012           CNC Machine Tool Programmer

I can still remember some of my early career decisions. If someone had approached me with the above manufacturing career path, I would have immediately been turned off. I could not have related the information to anything happening around me at the time. However, if the message was tailored to describe a company or a product that excited me, I may have made some different decisions about the jobs I took, and the skills needed, along the route of earning a degree in industrial engineering. Thinking back, it still amazes me that no one ever approached or discussed apprenticeships, another valuable tool that I may have overlooked because of misunderstood phrasing, or even worse, job titles…


As a workforce readiness ambassador for manufacturing, I have to constantly remind myself that it is not about me. So when I want to describe a job using an O*NET code, primarily because of future ease of reporting, I have to purposely remember that academic and industry terms do not resonate with students who may have never been exposed to a job title, and the subsequent skills needed to land a job. I have to give answers and examples that are relevant for the audience I am trying to reach. How are you spreading the message of your jobs and good works so that the people you are trying to attract hear you?  Feel free to comment or send me an email to latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.