Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 (Agenda)
Item 21
Number 21, consider and take aplop rat action regarding the following work force developments.
a, workforce solutions, rapids employment mod he will, program expansion.
b, big Austin, exoffender reentry pilot, and c, skill point alliance.
>> we were before you last week to discuss your consideration of some investments in the work efforts development.
there watts an additional program that you wanted to consider so we have the represent 26%s before 26% -- res before you today for still point alliance.
>> thank you, your honor and Commissioners, for giving us this opportunity.
we asked to give you an dwroafer view 6 our program.
at this time, we were asking for an additional $150,000 to facilitate a seamless continuation of our programs over the last two years, especially, we have restructured our gateway program so that we now have construction, electrical, plumbing, hvac, health care, book keeping.
we've broadened our reach, we're taking people to a high every level of training so they're coming out with better credentialing and at this time we're looking at about 87% of our graduates,ing employed within, I am aoverstating, about -- go ahead.
>> 80% of our gram waits are employ --
>> you could repeat that, that statistic.
>> within 30 days 6 2k3wr5d situation 6 one of our classes, our average is about 80% of those graduated who are imployed.
from our construction program, our average salary now is about $10.14.
from our electrical program we're averaging about $10.47.
and in the allied health side, our average was between about 121.50 and $10 and on hour so we feel good we're working toward pathways to prosperity which is what our partners agreed we have to be doing.
we've opened up our program and are now graduating students at the Travis County juvenile probation services, we proudly graduated nine students a couple weeks ago from our core construction and come back to us and asked this become a permanent program.
I'm sorry, this is cfo at, our director of our adult work worke program and kat and the amazing staff we have now, we're producing much better results than ever before.
105 graduates from elickcle, 89 employs.
189 from construction, one became an acc student and we're starting more classes.
what we want to do, we have waiting lists for the first time in a long time.
what we don't want to do is say, come on, you have to bait.
this is not a population one wants to put the brakes on with when they'red will to be trained.
I would ask cfo at to add news she might luke to that.
and certainly, we're here to answer your questions.
>> I think speaking to having to put the brakes on, we've had to do that twice in the last six months for a lack of funding, to put some students on hold and puck them up next time there was a dollar and that's really what this is, the ability to continue training as scheduled, and provide job training to those who are expecting it.
this fall is going to include office administration and book keeping that haven't been offered before, certified medication, a training that isn't offered very much here in the Austin area, and serves current certified nurse aids who are employed to get them an additional certificate caution and make them that much more employable with a higher rate 6 pay.
and we're beginning pluming this fall, also, and we will begin hvac and that development is based on having a really untensified employer network and hearing what they're needing loon every and looking for.
we've developed the curriculum, not overtraining and not under training and one of the things I focus heavily on with our programs is we have training for employment, not just training to train.
I really don't want to sit here and tell you we train 6,000 people a year unless I can tell you we employ 3,000 or as close to that as possible a year.
we train the people we know there are jobs for, and that's a really big piece of this work is that we're paying attention to what's out there.
we don't over159 trait the market.
we don't just train to train.
>> we look look at the labor mat indicators and they keep us on focus.
they are a good partner that way and helps us.
we have 36 members now 6 our adult workforce executive council, a fragmented group and they're very excited about how we've morphed the program to be receptive to their needs and because of that they're paying you a tension and hairing is -- paying attention and hiring.
the unfortunate thing, in the class that graduated June 17, there were 10.
eight were former offenders and three were veterans it seems no veteran should serve their country and come back homeless and addicted and out of work a long period of time if we have this opportunity to expand and stay focused and damp them and train them.
they make great employees, Austin energy talks to us all the time about what great employees veterans make.
domestic violence ps says if you can find us some folks and get them trained, we would love to take at the veterans and turn them into domestic violence dps.
that's what we're hear for.
thank you.
>> is there any, I know you said you just don't be doing training just to train, of course, we don't want to see anybody doing training just to train and we spend money entreing to make sure those things don't happen.
we look at this in the big picture, but looking at the front and all the job, job, jobs and more jobs you can and this is really what we're really lacking for to tray to make sure the tax dollars that we spent hit the bull's-eye, and also match up with what we're tray to do.
so I guess -- we're trying to do.
I guess, asking this of everyone always ask that question, performance is one thing and then at the end of the day you've looking for those persons that have actually found a job, and then job retention.
because we do sometimes see a person that slipped back into situations, that's not desirable, and of course have fallen out of the employment streamline.
and of course, we would like to see that not happen, but it's possible of that it is going to happen.
so my question is, the job retention and also the job oh, the actual job numbers are persons actually retaining jobs, and so we're talking about job retention and all these other kind of things, so it is all mixed up there a bit.
you can separate it for me to let me know how we are dealing with shows separations, job retention and then the situation where they don't revisit the situation that we're in before.
of course, then the numbers of how many persons we have trained and actually retained jobs, so that is all kind of mixed up a little bit together there.
>> you could speaks up, please.
>> planning if manager, Travis County health and human services.
our personnel are held to the back e same basic framework, job placement at exit, wage as placement and in all cases now a 60-day retext measure so all can report to us on that.
and we also have the evaluation that be be -- that do we, are ty remaining employ 8th, are wages steady or increasing?
every contract we have, we're looking at those questions all the time.
I cannot speak to the follow-up of 9 numbers that skill point has broad forward because our evaluation reporting has a several month lag but we will be in the next report coming back, we should see how those earnings numbers compare to the initial placement rates that if still point has been able to -- skill point has been able to report to us.
>> skill point has done a retooling of the job focuses, my understanding is remarshal was recognizing that in construction industry, sometimes the numbers of job retext are deflated because it is frankly, it's sub con work and it's like restaurant work.
>> a lot of 61 employment, contract work, so yes, we do under report and implement wage data.
that's when we're working with them, how can we grapple with a challenge, get a better handle on that and skill point is focusing in construction trading to figure out how can we, maybe a matter of working through their employer, council, figure out what is happening on a one-on-one level.
>> and through the retooling, because we're bringing people in and rehiring them, for the first time we have four or five people that there gone into the apprenticeship program.
>> in the last classes, we've had about 10 people who have gone into apprentice programs one of the three elect well policemans in Austin.
and we have connections already with the plumbing groups we are astarting with there you can local apprentice programs or unions, so we have started connecting early.
and a response about the construction, I would say we've been doing it 17 years and this year we changed what we're doing to address that, address the fact that they knead more green building so now students get energy efficiency and energy star training in their curriculum and better' focused on making sure those who graduate in construction without a specialty are just as employeable because they have those skills.
that is an example we don't want to overtrain them because they're under trained for the in this case level so we really trayed to pay attention to that.
do we a six-month follow-up on our students so we can keep in could not tact with them.
-- keep in contact with them so if thank you very much' struggling, we beck help them lk for adexal work.
we've 72%ly tension.
I believe that is accurate.
>> this' the number that I was lacking for, because the retext rate is very critical in may mind because that is called staying power.
I'm sticking it out and thicks have changed and turned around, so 72% retention, okay.
>> historically what is reported to us is 60 to 70% retention.
considering the starting point and the barriers participants face coming in and the fluid nature of construction industry in general is really pretty solid number and very comparable to the our investment.
>> and our rapid employment model, educate me on this.
>> workforce solutions funneled individuals too still point abs well as many others.
>> yes, skill point is one of the primary referral options in the employment model, yes.
>> part of the recommendation is an expansion to the workforce shakes program to funnel still point and overs.
>> correct.
>> but now still point is asking for additional moneys.
I'm trying to wrap my brain around how our rapid employment mold s model of investment fits in.
it is a wonderful program health and human services put together and we have, four years now, track record on it?
>> four-for-one years evaluated, yes, ma'am.
>> I look at this way, but investing independently with skill point and others in the community, we are maintaining capacity to we have a place for leverrals to go.
part of what is happening is we create more opportunities, more door ways so they can't create a new fund balance plumbing, office, clerical book keeping pathway in hopes that the referrals will come through our dollars, through workforce solutions or other connections, so that's the balance we try to maintain.
that belike to have at much as possible that client driven model 6 services but there needs to be a foundation of funding so those door ways remain open.
I think that's the way I see the balance we've traying to strike here.
>> we've is of is with the food and grocery store where you can get it.
>> I mixed briefly a relationship they established for the juvenile probation department and I would include, as a part of our recommendation, we would like that relationship too continue so those students will continue to begin fit from their opportunity to receive this training while both being housed in our long-term detention facility.
we select into the classes those eligible for work.
we're not going to train a 14-year-old in is a job you can't get until you're 17.
we do the same when we recruiting for the adult program.
one thing we try to talk to them about, and I'm hoping it is going to happen in the long-term program is we're giving them a skill set they can rely on when they're out of the detention setting so they don't go back to the adult setting, because at that point they come into gateway.
we would like to get them now and arm them with skills so they can be 16 and 17 in the program, but they're better at 17 in the construction fields.
the office and book keeping, as lock as they're of age to work, they can be 15, 16, 17.
>> talk to us about revenue.
naturenature of 2.
>> the court indicated an interest in slesments earmarking $255,000 in the allocated reserve and I you think ppo is coming forward for a recommendation of any additional resources that might be needed based on your action today.
>> we're recommending if you decide to fund these programs that all the funding come from allocated reserve.
there is the earmark, plus the allocated reserve is healthy and it makes more point in this fiscal yeah to go with the allocated reserve rather than try to shake through the line items in department and salary savings.
>> as ally minder, the request totaled is 366 is $365,000.
we make sure your investments continue to deliver outcomes you ever most interested in, so the total request would be about $365,000.
>> we budgeted a certain sum during 2011.
what happened to that amount?
>> 255.
>> it wasn't budgeted.
it is an earmark against allocated reserve for these pilots.
they would them come before this so move forward and figure out what they were going to recommend.
>> so it was not is a line item in the health and human services budget.
>> yes, sir, for workforce development pilot programs.
>> so the four skill points kale port, there was a request on the table for 369,275.
which is over that 255.
I'm just trying to perhaps my brain around this.
>> we were aware of the number, the posting last week didn't allow us to discuss the skill point request.
and I'm rifling through my papers here to give you is the actual amount.
so you had, in addition of 125,000 to the, for the rapids employment model was workforce.
then $25,000 request for the big Austin pilot.
>> and that was on -- what I'm trying to get to is of our total slesment for the current budget year with regard to rapid employment model this is how much more than is client available?
>> the current contract.
>> 369, excuse me, you're referring to, book the total amount.
our current funding for the rapid employment model is 244,275 so if you add the 1252 would make your tote at slesment 369 thousand 275.
>> okay.
>> you have to add 125 to get there.
>> right, the 244 is already in the health and haul services budget.
>> it is contacted about the contract currently in place.
>> what we're talking about taking from allocatedry serves, something 25 from work force and 15 from big --
>> 25 from big Austin.
>> I'm sorry.
25.
>> 15 for evaluation, which is tyke every particularly important because the work they've got is a different animal.
a similar reporting challenge, much like in construction, only more so.
>> right.
a little bit more case-by-case analysis.
>> yes, a little more hands on.
>> so the total amount we are elooking for is 315.
>> kale up with the same number.
>> right
>> [laughter] I can't do math on tv.
>> I got it.
so you're looking for 315 additional beyond the 244.
>> direct.
>> it is already there.
>> what you've seeing is the total for the three programs that you've seen.
255 of it is in, is already earmarks for development programs in the allocated reserve.
>> missing me on that.
we have 255 in allocated reserve, and 9 total you're looking for is 315 which would be an additional --
>> 1 how.
>> or 1 62 0?
>> 0 o -- 140.
>> or 150?
>> 255 from 315.
>> right.
>> that's what you're looking for.
>> yes, sir.
>> how did we get from 369 to 315.
>> 9369 is the total workforce contract if we were to add 12 62, so that's where that -- to ad ever add 125.
>> I bats good in math.
>> I don't think so I was good in math, judge, so I'm on my own here.
staff, you indicated your I think tension to increase your investment in this area by adding this earmark in the2011 budget in process.
we had state statues that delayed our receipt of the report but clearly that report continues to show the investments you make in workforce development make a difference in our community in terms 6 not only the number of people able to receive training but the longevity of their employment history once they receive that training.
so with those facts in mind, staff would lem your additional investment invest of $315,000, the rapid employment model, big Austin, a program looking at entrepreneurship.
>> we will plan on -- we'll have the self-reported data from the partners and they will probably come back.
I would hope late winter, early spring, so we're in line for budget next year to see where we stand.
at least have initial indications.
it won't be the full evaluation and remarks because they have a fixed time line that works under, but we can bring back some updates that would be more informed in making decisions as we go into next spring.
>> move approval of 315 from allocated reserve for the full package.
>> second.
>> motion by Commissioner Eckhardt, second by Commissioner Davis.
>> clarification.
on the amendment to treat it as an automatic or come back next Tuesday?
>> we're doing the motion today, it will take some time if some of this passes, it will take some time to put the contract together.
so basically our intention by the motion is to get it done.
we approved the expenditure and processing for a contract for execution by the court as soon as possible.
how soon after, say, contract execution can the programs really start?
>> the programs never stop.
>> two are -- two are currently running.
it's adding additional capacity to the other.
I'll have to talk with ms. Rome to see what the timing will look like on that one.
>> big Austin will be a new contract with Travis County so there will be a little more work that will have to go into that up front.
but the other programs will be -- will continue on their normal track.
>> and the big Austin program, it looks like the implementation, actually it takes a little longer to ramp it up, but it's such a small amount of money, at the amount of money we're talking about phasing probably doesn't help us out anyway.
>> right.
>>
>> [inaudible].
>> can you come up to the mic, please?
>> say your name again.
>> stacy rome with big Austin.
our programs can begin immediately.
we have our currently training programs that we already have some individuals who are ex-offenders in those programs. We will be doing some more expanding and I believe we'll maybe even be working with some of the organizations involved here now.
so that should not hold us up.
we should be able to move forward immediately.
as far as contract-wise, we will need to work out the particulars on that and your reporting process, but we are very familiar with reporting on federal and state contracts and grants so that should not be an issue with us.
>> any comments from work source?
>> thank you very much for the opportunity.
>> that was eloquent.
>> [laughter]
>> good job.
>> any more discussion on the motion?
you understand what we're doing?
>> yes, sir.
automatic.
>> all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
>> thank you.
>> thank you all very much.
>> thank you all.
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