Reconnect to Good Works

Most of my professional career, I have benefited from hiring students from tech schools, without actually visiting one. For the past two decades, many of the industrial technicians or maintenance personnel were graduates of programs like Ivy Tech, Augusta Tech, or Rosedale Tech. While participating in Leadership Beaumont, I briefly toured the welding program at Lamar Institute of Technology. Not until I became actively involved in workforce readiness did I take the time to get a holistic view of what today’s tech schools offer. This is not your 80s variety vocational training program…

Growing up, the closest post-secondary school in the county was the Rice Belt Technical Institute. The only people that I personally knew went for secretarial training. None of the graduates from my family ever gained employment using those skills, so I never even considered the school as an option for me.

Fast-forward to my first tour of modern-day workforce development training and I visited one of the local Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) campuses. The purpose of the visit was to understand the regional best practice for effective adult education that leads to real employment and advancement opportunities. The full-time programs range from twelve to twenty months to complete. The format is meant to simulate an actual workday, so students receive both classroom and hands on training, often dressed in uniformed attire.

The initial topic of connection that struck me was the cost. Between financial aid, the Tennessee Reconnect (http://tnreconnect.gov/), or the Tennessee Promise (http://tnpromise.gov/), most students can complete these program without building up long term debt related to loans. This model proves that retraining efforts are within reach for adults willing to commit the time to earn the certifications.

Walking through the various programs, another area of connection was the engagement of the instructors. Each was working alongside the students, demonstrating applied knowledge of the subject. When we walked through the diesel maintenance shop, the instructor was underneath the frame, but slid out to share information about student successes, employment opportunities, salaries, and his program’s wait list (there is a huge demand for his graduates, a testament to the workmanship he is instilling in his students). Unique to the TCAT model, instructors are incentivized by their program placement rates.

TCAT offers a wide range of technical career programs. To learn the details of the full-time courses offered in the Memphis area, visit http://tcatmemphis.edu/fulltime-programs. I suggest exploring the program details to learn about the contact hours, potential certifications granted, and most importantly, the gainful employment information. Since I was so impressed by the diesel technology program, here are the linked examples of the kind of data you will find:

http://tcatmemphis.edu/fulltime-programs/diesel-powered-equipment-technology

http://tcatmemphis.edu/consumerinfo/?program=memphis/Gedt-591

Be sure to click on the red consumer information tab, which provides details about the SOC Code, program success rates, and job placement rates. A 92% placement rate is best-in-class in my book!

I know the quality of the students and the value of this type of education from a professional perspective. As a parent, a real test for me will be how I feel about technical training programs personally if our son comes home and informs us that he has chosen this route to pursue his career goals, rather than going to a four-year college. What are your thoughts on the career opportunities afforded from technical certification programs? 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/.

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/.

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/.