Importance of Volunteers in Job Development

I recently attended a dinner for LIRS affiliate volunteers of the year. I was an inspiring night and really highlighted the importance of volunteers in successful resettlement programs. They play no bigger role than the one the play in job development. Volunteers can and should be utilized in pre-employment classes as teachers, in job development by providing transportation to and from interviews, and as community members networking with colleagues to strengthen ties to employers and job openings. Finding retired business men and women to help job coach clients can be extremely beneficial to refugees' success in the workplace. Mainly, volunteers being a set of skills and expertise to the employment service arena that job developers may not necessarily have. The more individuals we have supporting our clients the faster they can integrate and become self-sufficient. Go to: www.volunteermatch.org to find connect your needs to a volunteer looking to support a great cause like ours!

Harry Says...

I wanted to introduce you to Harry Crawford. He’s the Employment Program Manager at Caritas – my boss. He has more than 25 years of experience in workforce development. And, he’s very wise. Lots of times in meetings with outside agencies, I have to laugh because everyone ends up taking notes while Harry explains something we all need to understand. Two pieces of his wisdom are counterintuitive, but they always guide us through difficult aspects of working with clients, so I wanted to share them with you.

Some Clients Have to Hit the Wall: Sometimes, no matter what you do, clients have a hard time reconciling themselves to taking the first available, entry level job. When we’re feeling stress and worry about their family’s financial stability, Harry reminds us that some clients have to face a crisis before they can internalize the need to start in a job that they may feel is beneath them. When they run out of options and money, they are forced to accept the realities of US work culture and that’s the best thing for them in the long term.

Finding a Job is a Numbers Game: The more job leads we have, the more referrals we make. The more referrals we make, the more placements we can count. Clients often get really frustrated and discouraged by applying for lots of jobs and never even getting a response. Practice strengthens their skills and, eventually, if they apply enough places, someone will call and they’ll get a job.

Using LMI to Promote Refugee Workers

In tune with local labor market trends, the Idaho Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Idaho Department of Labor sponsored a forum on hiring refugees in healthcare. Across the state, most healthcare occupations -- including Registered Nurses and Nursing Aides -- are projected to grow by at least 6% in the coming year. Forum participants learned about the strong talent pool of potential employees while also gaining more understanding about the supports that local refugee employment services can bring to their recruitment and retention efforts.



Boise State Public Radio produced a nice story about the event that highlights three refugees who are contributing their skills and talents to Boise's healthcare industry. Listen here.

Request for Advice about Public Speaking and Community Outreach

My job description includes raising community awareness. There was discussion in last month’s Program Models webinar that touched on the role of Job Developer as more appropriate when focused on employers rather than skill building. There was mention of a joint effort to raise awareness through public speaking engagements and stronger outreach to business and community groups. Our development office advised me to target associations (like restaurants, small artisan food producers, hotels). I have spoken at the local hotel HR professionals association and it was very useful.

I’m just beginning to collect ideas on this topic to plan how I can do more in this direction. I don’t have much to say about it and could really use some advice. What groups showed the best response? How to you target your presentation? What kind of follow-up helps make the most of public outreach? Do you make a specific ask or just brief about refugees and employment services?

I really hope others can give me some good ideas and advice. Thanks.

It’s now been almost a year since Caritas of Austin was able to initiate my position as full time Job Developer. With this blog, I want to share what we’re learning and strengthen our efforts by learning from others.