the urban institute assisting newcomers through employment and support services: an evaluation of...
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The Urban Institute
Assisting Newcomers through Employment and Support Services:
An Evaluation of the New Americans Centers Demonstration Project in Arkansas and Iowa
Robin KoralekThe California Symposium on Poverty
October 15, 2009
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Overview of Presentation
• Demonstration overview
• Design of the New Americans Centers
• Services provided
• Sustainability
• Lessons learned
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Demonstration Overview
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New Americans Centers Demonstration Project
• Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration
• Three-year grants ($850,000) to develop NACs in Arkansas and Iowa
• Located within One-Stop Career Centers in high-immigrant population areas
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Purpose of Grants
• Promote stability and rapid employment with living wages
• Speed the transition of new immigrants into their communities
• Assist employers as they adjust to a changing workforce
• Enhance economic development opportunities in local communities
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Immigration Context
• Immigrants make up a large share of all U.S. workers– 15 percent of all U.S. workers (2005)– 21 percent of workers earning below twice the minimum
wage– 45 percent of workers with less than a H.S. education
• Great variation in educational attainment and ability to speak English– Limited English skills are single factor associated with
low wages and poverty among immigrants
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Immigration Context (Cont’d.)
• Rapid growth in immigration between 1990 and 2000– 196 percent increase in Arkansas
– 110 percent increase in Iowa
• States struggle with rapid flow of new immigrants– Integration into community
– Language barriers
– Increased dependence on immigrant workers
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Design of the NACs
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Project Goals
• Help “newcomers” establish themselves in the community
• Enhance local workforce and further local economic development
• Raise awareness of diversity issues
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Sponsoring Organizations — Arkansas
Site Oversight
Fiscal and programmatic
agent
Local program operation
Little RockDepartment of Workforce Services (DWS)
Little Rock Workforce Investment Board
Latin Community Organization (LCO)
Malvern DWS
West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, (WCAPDD)
West Central Arkansas Career Development Center System (WCACDCS)
Rogers DWS
Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District (NWAEDD)
Northwest Arkansas Certified Development Company (NWACDC)
Russellville DWS
West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, (WCAPDD)
West Central Arkansas Career Development Center System (WCACDCS)
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Sponsoring Organizations — Iowa
Site Oversight
Fiscal and programmatic
agent
Local program operation
Council Bluffs
Iowa Workforce Development (IWD)
Des Moines
Marshalltown
Mount Pleasant
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Planning & Implementation• Community meetings to garner support
and gauge need– Local government officials, police and fire departments,
local WIBs, service providers, employers, and business owners
• Advisory committees• Staff
– Bilingual– Established in the community– Skilled in networking with service providers and
community organizations
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Planning & Implementation (Cont’d.)
• Establishment of community trust and respect
• Identify existing services
• Outreach to participants via “word of mouth”
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Key Partners
• Development of partnerships with local leaders and other service providers – Advisory committees– Networks of local service providers and
businesses (One-Stop Career Center programs, health care, adult education, banks, colleges, schools, employers, local government agencies, etc.)
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Staffing• Typically, two full-time bilingual staff per site
• Coordinators
– Responsible for community outreach, establishing networks, partnerships with other service providers, project sustainability
• Intake Specialists
– Support coordinators in outreach, work more directly with participants, provide services, make referrals, translation and interpretation services
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Staff Responsibilities
• Intake
• Resource and referral
• Translation and interpretation
• Job search
• Do not carry caseloads
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Services Provided
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Program Enrollment
• Arkansas — 4,883 participants across four sites– Nearly two-thirds are men– Most are Hispanic
• Iowa — 2,775 participants across three sites– Over half are women– Hispanic (40%), white, non-Hispanic (20%)
• Most are recent immigrants
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Service Delivery1. Participants
• Increasing income
• Achieving self-sufficiency
• Gaining English proficiency
• Building awareness of civic laws and institutions
• Promoting civic participation
• Accessing needed services
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Service Delivery (Cont’d.)
2. Employers
• Meeting staffing needs
• Adapting to increasingly diverse workforce
3. Community
• Educating on diversity issues
• Conducting general outreach
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Service Delivery Approach
• Staff in each site given flexibility to design program to meet local needs
• No eligibility requirements
• No formal assessment process
• Services and referrals based on individual need
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Services to Participants• Supportive services (child care, clothing, food housing,
health care, other basic needs)
• Translation and interpretation services
• Employment assistance (job search, resumes, applications, interviewing)
• Civics education (education, immigration, law enforcement, cultural issues, taxes, local services)
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Services to Participants (Cont’d.)
• ESL classes
• Other education and training
• Legal and civil rights assistance
• Computer and internet access and other services
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Services Provided to ParticipantsArkansas
Supportive Services
Interpretation/Translation
Employment Services
ESL/Language Classes
Other Classes
Immigration Services
Tax/SSN
General Information
Other
Civics Education Classes
Legal Issues
Financial
Computer Access
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Services Provided to ParticipantsIowa
Interpretation/Translation
Employment Services
Other
Tax/SSN
Supportive Services
Civics Education ClassesLegal Issues
Computer Access
General Information
Immigration Services
Other Classes
ESL/Language Classes
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Employer Services
• Resource to area employers and businesses
• Assistance with staffing needs (referrals to language classes, targeted training, translation and interpretation, diversity training, immigration issues, etc.)
• Local welding training program (AR)
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Community Services
• Local community events (job fairs, networking events, Cinco de Mayo, etc.)
• Workshops on cultural awareness and diversity
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Sustainability
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Sustainability — Arkansas
• Goal is to build a “network” to sustain partnerships created through the demonstration
• No formal state-level role
• Seeking funding through grants from local banks, and foundations, additional grant writing
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Sustainability — Iowa
• Goal is to secure permanent funding stream through the state
• State appropriations support a larger system of NACs
• Local communities encouraged to secure local support
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Implementation Lessons
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Implementation Lessons
• Network building and community support are critical early steps
• Dynamic and committed staff are essential
• Location is a factor in service delivery
• Project sustainability is challenging and requires support at a high level
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Next Steps for Evaluation
• Currently completing a final report
• Incorporates updated information about site operations and sustainability
• Includes analysis of individual-level service receipt data and employment and earnings data
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Contact Information
New Arkansan Resource NetworkMike Kennedy(501) 682-3142
New Iowan CentersBarbara Bobb
(515) 242-6240 [email protected]
http://www.iowaworkforce.org/centers/newiowan/
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U.S. Department of LaborEmployment and Training Administration
Michelle Ennis(202) 693-3636
Robin KoralekThe Urban Institute
(202) [email protected]
Full report is available at http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=411874