Workforce Auckland Inc

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Workforce Auckland Inc

• The Single Door Service
• Joy Ottaway, CEO
• VASS Conference 3rd October 2008

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Overview of presentation

• Workforce Auckland Inc (WFA)
• WFA model of service delivery
• Pre-2007
• Post-2007

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Workforce Auckland Inc a brief history

• 1963 incorporated as The Auckland Sheltered
  Workshop and registered under the (now-repealed)
  DPEP Act 1960
• 1990 Job Connections established included
  Accident Compensation Commission service
  provision and open employment not requiring
  post-placement support
• 1992 Workforce Personnel (Supported Employment)
  established
• 2003 Transition from school MSD pilot commenced
• 2004 Mission statement clarified and Job
  Connections divested
• 2006 Self-employment option established
• 2007 Business acquisitions to provide
  employment/temporary staffing employment option
  researched
• 2007 Service delivery changed to The Single
  Door. Workforce Personnel/Single Door re-branded
  as Elevator
• 2008 Non-ORRS transition student service delivery
  (Board funded)

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Workforce Auckland Inc a brief history
5
Workforce Auckland Inc a brief history
6
Overview of presentation

• Workforce Auckland Inc (WFA) history
• WFA model of service delivery
• Pre-2007
• Post-2007

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery pre-2007

• Mission Statement 2003
• We believe that every human being is important
  and valuable and that the quality of each
  persons life is significant to the whole of our
  society.
• If life is to have worth it must be meaningful
  and rewarding.
• Our aim is to provide disabled and disadvantaged
  people with the opportunity of gaining dignity,
  self worth and independence through the
  development of the skills and attitudes needed to
  gain rewarding employment and meaningful lives.

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery pre-2007

• Workforce Auckland structure
• Workforce Industries
• Workforce Personnel

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery pre-2007

• Workforce Industries
• In early 2000s moved into employing
  disadvantaged people
• Number of people with disabilities employed
  declining
• Ageing population
• Very few career prospects for pwd
• Impending repeal of the DPEP Act

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery pre-2007

• Workforce Personnel
• Policy of accepting all referrals for people with
  disabilities
• Long waiting lists up to 3 months to enter
  service
• Excellent retention rates once employment
  achieved
• Philosophically opposed to business enterprises

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery post-2007

• Mission Statement - current
• To assist disabled Aucklanders to work in
  careers of their choice

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery post-2007

• Mission Statement
• Disabled Aucklanders
• Geographic region from Albany to Pukekohe (50km
  radius from Central Auckland)
• All disability types physical, mental illness,
  sensory and intellectual
• Careers of their choice
• Committed to offering a wide range of employment
  opportunities including
• Business Services/Supported employment
• Open employment
• Self-employment/business acquisitions
• Temporary staffing employment
• Transition services

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery post-2007

• Organisational Tenets
• Employment focus
• Candidates choice
• Honest, upfront and non-patronising
• Employee entitlements
• Commercial operations
• Balance social and economic factors

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery post-2007

• The Single Door
• Entry to service moved to a level above the
  operating divisions
• Model of consistent service delivery based on
  what is best for the client
• Offers a menu of career choices
• Single Door team monitor clients progress
  through the organisation
• Client can return to the Single Door at any time

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery post-2007

• The Single Door team
• Recruitment Specialists - with extensive
  backgrounds in supported and sheltered
  employment, ACC, Workbridge and Work and Income
• Transition Specialists - with extensive
  backgrounds in transition, supported employment
  and youth justice rehabilitation
• Training Manager
• Self-Employment Mentor

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery post-2007

• Single Door outcomes
• Referral to Workforce Industries (business
  enterprise) via a pre-employment programme
• Referral to Elevator (supported employment)
• Referral to Transition Programme
• Referral to Self Employment Programme
• Brokerage to other service providers/PTEs if
  Workforce Auckland is not deemed best-fit
• Outcomes are not mutually exclusive clients can
  be referred to more than one programme.

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Employment at Workforce Industries

• All referrals enter Workforce Industries by way
  of a tailored pre-employment programme. The 3-day
  programme includes
• An introduction to the workplace
• Workplace health and safety
• Work tasting/experience
• An opportunity to step on to the employment path
• No compulsion to undertake employment at
  Workforce Industries
• Can undertake employment at Workforce Industries
  while actively seeking opportunities in
  self/supported employment

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Employment at Workforce Industries

• All employees are entitled to 5 of their paid
  time in training
• Workskills for Life training initiatives
  delivered include
• Employee rights
• Keeping yourself safe
• Smoking cessation
• Heartbeat challenge/fitness and nutrition
  awareness
• Breast cancer awareness
• Domestic violence/workplace bullying
• Transport
• Money handling
• Currently piloting a Numeracy and Literacy
  48-week one-on-one programme delivered by an
  external accredited training provider

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Supported Employment via Elevator

• Elevator offers an individualised service that
  focuses on the client and their employer
• An Employment Action Plan (EAP) that includes
  goal setting
• Job searching within the industry and
  geographical location specified by the client
• A workplace survey a thorough look at the tasks
  required by the employer
• A job match between the persons career plan and
  the employers requirements
• Work trials, where appropriate, prior to
  placement
• Job coaching
• On-going post-placement support for both the
  individual and the employer, for as long as is
  necessary

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Self-employment/business acquisitions

• Self-employment opportunities added to available
  options
• Candidates are referred to a Self-employment
  Mentor
• Advisory service for developing business and
  marketing plans, cash flows and other projections
• Ongoing operational advice
• Back-office administration assistance if required
  
• Opportunities where WFA purchases small
  businesses/franchises for additional employment
  opportunities under consideration

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Transition from School

• Current MSD contract is for ORRS-funded students
  only
• Gaps identified in non-ORRS MSD-funded students
  transition programme
• WFA funding transition programme for these
  students
• Students enter the organisation at the Single
  Door and have access to all service options

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Transition from School

• Transition Programme contracted outcomes
• Employment
• Further education
• Voluntary work/other services
• Community participation

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery Success to
date

• Significant increase in referrals to WFA
• Candidates have genuine employment choice
• Number of candidates have returned to the Single
  Door for re-assessment
• Pre-employment programme gives those with a
  distance to work the opportunity to get onto
  the employment path
• Number of candidates choosing to work at
  Workforce Industries while job searching in open
  employment
• Candidates working at Workforce Industries
  actively encouraged to undertake training and/or
  open Employment
• First candidate successfully moved into
  self-employment

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery Success to
date
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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery Success to
date
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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery Success to
date
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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery Challenges

• Quality vs. quantity
• Capacity
• Historic perceptions of business enterprises
• Administrative load of MWEPs post-DPEP Act repeal
• Production scheduling
• Economic downturn
• Retaining an open mind to all options

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Workforce Auckland Service Delivery Future
Initiatives

• Expand current service provision to a larger
  number of candidates funding constraints
  permitting
• Increase capacity in Workplace Literacy
  initiative
• Become a certified training provider
• Align WFA with mainstream recruitment agencies
• Develop training pipelines to meet employer
  requirements
• Design and build new commercial premises for
  Workforce Industries
• Develop Transition to Retirement Programme

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Workforce Auckland Inc

• To assist disabled Aucklanders to work in
  careers of their choice
• Contact details
• Joy Ottaway
• P 64 9 275-2074
• M 64 21 192-1155
• E joyo_at_workforceauckland.org.nz