Work, Economy and Organizations Commons^™

Access To Training For Mature Workers Through One-Stop Career Centers In Massachusetts, Francis G. Caro, Kelly Fitzgerald

Gerontology Institute Publications

The major purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which career centers in Massachusetts are providing mature workers with access to federally funded training. The research is based on two large administrative data sources: The MOSES database made available by the Massachusetts Department of Employment and Training (now Division of Career Services and Division of Unemployment) and a customer service database maintained by The Career Place, a career center in Woburn, MA. The MOSES data file provided for this research includes data on user characteristics and service transactions for all career centers in Massachusetts from July 1, …

Do Asian Men Face Wage Discrimination In The United States?, Marlene Kim

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

Currently there is a debate regarding whether Asian men suffer from workplace discrimination on account of their race. The research findings have been mixed. Cabezas and Kawaguchi (1988) found that in the San Francisco Metropolitan Area, both foreign-born and U.S.-born men who were of Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and Korean descent earned less than similarly qualified U.S.-born white men, although they did not examine the statistical significance of these findings. Using the same 1980 census data on a national sample of Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Asian Indian, and Korean men, Duleep and Sanders (1992) find differences in earnings by race that are …

Institute Brief: More Than Just A Job: Person-Centered Career Planning, Colleen Condon, Kristen Fichera, Danielle Dreilinger

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Sometimes counselors think that person-centered career planning has to involve a big meeting, or is only for people with the most significant disabilities. The first issue in the new ICI Professional Development Series lays out the principles of listening to job seekers to help them shape and achieve their career goals.

Alternative Job Brokering: Addressing Labor Market Disadvantages, Improving The Temp Experience, And Enhancing Job Opportunities, Françoise Carré, Joaquín Herranz, Jr., Dorie Seavey, Carlha Vickers, Ashley Aull, Rebecca Keegan

Center for Social Policy Publications

Alternative staffing is a key form of labor market intermediation worthy of consideration alongside that provided by other community-based job placement programs. Furthermore, an examination of alternative staffing services underscores the essential role that supports to employment play in job-brokering for workers who are disadvantaged in the labor market because these are businesses that tend simultaneously and daily to the two sides of the work relationship (worker-client and customer business). Much can be learned from their experiences about the expertise and resources required to effectively broker jobs for these kinds of workers—expertise and resources that could be necessary if public-sector …

Tools For Inclusion: Four Strategies To Find A Good Job: Advice From Job Seekers With Disabilities, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Doris Hamner, Jennifer Bose

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

An ICI study with job seekers revealed four strategies that can make it easier to find a job.

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Focus On Merging Cultures, Allison Cohen Hall, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Sheila Fesko

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) requires major organizational change for employment, training, and disability agencies. The initiative emphasizes coordination, collaboration and communication among organizations for better service delivery. At this time, states are developing systems that will enable them to address the needs of all customers, including those with disabilities, who are seeking employment. Traditionally, service systems have required that consumers and their families who need a variety of services be able to negotiate the culture and language of multiple agencies. With the new WIA legislation, this task is now being required of the agencies themselves. In …

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Focus On Leadership, Sheila Fesko, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Allison Cohen Hall

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The workforce development system has undergone significant change in the past five years, including the development and implementation of new partnerships. Maintaining the integrity of services and conducting major organizational change has been a challenge for local, state, and federal leaders. Some states have a limited vision of how this new workforce system can operate and the ways in which their customers can benefit from the new partnerships. Other states, however, have embraced the challenge put forth in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and have built on previous collaborations or begun new initiatives. This publication discusses some of the challenges …

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Focus On Co-Location, Sheila Fesko, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Allison Cohen Hall

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Seamless service delivery means that a customer receiving services can move between two or more agencies with limited disruption. Seamless services have not been accomplished when a customer must take a cross-town bus to travel from one agency to another. To address this issue, many One-Stop career centers are looking into how staff from their partner agencies can physically share space. This can range from a single staff person from an agency working in the Center on specific days of the week (itinerant staffing) to all staff from that agency working there on a full-time basis (full co-location). Staff report …

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Focus On Involving Customers With Disabilities, Sheila Fesko, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Allison Cohen Hall

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Although it is uniformly accepted that customers with disabilities should be involved in the process to create a new workforce system under the mandates of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), anecdotal evidence suggests this to be more rhetoric than reality. Currently One-Stop Career Centers, workforce boards, and states are struggling with how to solicit and incorporate this important input into the planning process. The following is offered as a tool to help involve customers with disabilities as One-Stop centers are developed. This brief is part of a series of products offering practical solutions for state and local entities as they …

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Focus On Accessibility, Sheila Fesko, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Allison Cohen Hall

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Universal access is a central tenet of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and mandates that One-Stop Career Center (One-Stop) services be accessible for individuals with disabilities. Partnerships between Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and workforce development agencies have increased awareness about the importance of service accessibility and states have been responding to this issue in their planning and service delivery. This brief highlights the innovative strategies states have used to make their One-Stops better able to support job seekers with disabilities. This brief is part of a series of products offering practical solutions for state and local entities as they implement the …

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Spotlight On Maine, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Sheila Fesko, Allison Cohen Hall

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) requires major organizational change for employment and training agencies. The initiative emphasizes coordination, collaboration and communication among organizations for better service delivery. At this time, states are developing systems that will enable them to address the needs of all customers seeking employment. The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) has conducted state case studies for two purposes: (1) to identify how states have begun the process of collaboration under the new mandates of WIA; and (2) to understand the impact on customers with disabilities. This is the third in a series of publications …

Tools For Inclusion: A Common Path: Navigating Your Way To Successful Negotiations In The Workplace, Kelly Crow, Susan Foley

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Asking for job accommodations can feel intimidating, especially if an individual has decided not to disclose his or her disability. The good news is that this negotiation can be, in fact, rewarding and empowering. The Working It Out Together project asked experts for tactics to create win-win situations.

Tools For Inclusion: Evaluating Your Agency And Its Services: A Checklist For Job Seekers With Disabilities, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Melanie Jordan, David Hoff

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

It is important to evaluate employment services and decide if you are getting the results that you are looking for. You should have high expectations! If you are currently using an agency for help with employment, this checklist can help you make sure you are getting what you need.

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Spotlight On Kentucky, Allison Cohen Hall, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Sheila Fesko

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) requires major organizational change for employment and training agencies. The initiative emphasizes coordination, collaboration and communication among organizations for better service delivery. At this time, states are developing systems that will enable them to address the needs of all customers seeking employment. The Institute for Community Inclusaion (ICI) has conducted state case studies for two purposes: (1) to identify how states have begun the process of collaboration under the new mandates of WIA; and (2) to understand the impact on customers with disabilities. This is the first in a series of publications …

Case Studies On The Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act: Spotlight On Minnesota, Sheila Fesko, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Allison Cohen Hall

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) requires major organizational change for employment and training agencies. The initiative emphasizes coordination, collaboration and communication among organizations for better service delivery. At this time, states are developing systems that will enable them to address the needs of all customers seeking employment. The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) has conducted state case studies for two purposes: (1) to identify how states have begun the process of collaboration under the new mandates of WIA; and (2) to understand the impact on customers with disabilities. This is the second in a series of publications …

Tools For Inclusion: Starting With Me: A Guide To Person-Centered Planning For Job Seekers, Melanie Jordan, Lara Enein-Donovan

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

A person-centered approach can help individuals with disabilities make satisfying job choices. This brief guides job seekers through a three-stage career development process that includes assessing their interests, researching the job market, and marketing themselves to potential employers.

The Development Of Boston's Seaport District: Employment Opportunities And Community Strategies, O. Steven Quimby

Gastón Institute Publications

The development of Boston's Seaport District will create thousands of full-time employment opportunities over the next decade. To ensure equitable access to these opportunities for Boston's communities of color, it is imperative that organizations offering employment-training programs begin to take these opportunities into account now in their training efforts. The Center for Community Economic Development (CCED) at the University of Massachusetts Boston has prepared this report, The Development of Boston's Seaport District: Employment Opportunities and Community Strategies, as a step in becoming informed about these opportunities.

This study examines employment opportunities to be created in three industries projected to be …

Brief 7: Preparing For The Next Wave Of Faculty, New England Resource Center For Higher Education, University Of Massachusetts Boston

New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications

Ten years ago higher education scholars predicted a major faculty turnover in the late 1990s and into the twenty-first centurya prediction based on demographic data on an aging faculty. The turnover is under way, accelerated by early retirement policies. Currently blocks of faculty positions are opening up at regional colleges and universities, and new faculty are being hired in groups, rather than a few at a time. In larger universities, the impact of this kind of hiring is felt most acutely at the department level. At small institutions, the effects can be institution wide. Throughout this academic year, NERCHE’s Department …

Concerns And Recommendations On Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act Of 1998 In Boston: Summary Of The "Policy Roundtable: Local Implementation Of The Workforce Investment Act And Its Impact On Latinos And Other Communities", Luz Rodriguez, Kevin Whalen, Mary Jo Marion, Rita Lara, Claudia Green

Gastón Institute Publications

The primary public funding vehicle for employment training and workforce education is in the midst of radical change. The transition from the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982 to the Workforce. Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) will have a dramatic impact on providers and clients alike. This impact is likely to be especially challenging for programs targeted to the hardest to serve populations. For example, many practitioners are worried that members of certain groups will be more likely to be "lost" and not receive needed services under the voucher system that will be the primary payment method under WIA. Linguistic …

Older Workers: An Essential Resource For Massachusetts, Peter B. Doeringer, Andrew Sum, David Terkla, Commonwealth Of Massachusetts, Blue Ribbon Commission On Older Workers

Gerontology Institute Publications

The Massachusetts Jobs Council, the Governor’s principal advisory board on workforce development, established the Blue Ribbon Commission on Older Workers in 1997 to analyze the labor market for older workers in the Commonwealth and to recommend policies to improve the economic status of the older labor force. The Commission held numerous hearings, town meetings, and focus groups to solicit the views of older workers, employers, labor organizations, and training professionals, and it reviewed the findings of extensive research on older workers in Massachusetts.

Democratic Economic Participation And Humane Urban Development, Jessica Gordon-Nembhard

Trotter Review

Humane economics, democratic economic participation, and democratic economic control are words not often combined and terms rarely used by traditional economic developers and urban planners, especially when addressing inner-city redevelopment. Most often, discussions about economic development and the elimination of poverty focus on job creation, workforce development, and access to job opportunities - promoting the corporate model of growth and fortifying big business's penetration into and control of community economics. Income receives a bit of attention, in the peripheral discussions about "living wages' or family-supporting wages and "good" jobs. However, concepts such as a guaranteed income or payment for the …

Tools For Inclusion: Networking: A Consumer Guide To An Effective Job Search, Cecilia Gandolfo

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Based on an ICI training workshop, this brief teaches job seekers with disabilities how to become more proactive in their job search.

The Professional Decline Of Physicians In The Era Of Managed Care, Aimee E. Marlow

New England Journal of Public Policy

Physicians have long enjoyed prestige, power, and autonomy, but the rise of managed care organizations has drastically changed their status. Many doctors are in thrall to the financial well-being of the corporations that employ them, their knowledge and expertise controlled and manipulated in the interest of profit maximization. This article investigates the professional decline of physicians, citing the use of gag clauses, incentives to withhold care, and the breakdown of their authority. In an effort to regain some measure of control, physicians have taken their concerns to the public, supporting state and federal legislation that attempts to curb questionable managed …

The Politics Of Three Case Studies Industrialization, Eve S. Weinbaum

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article analyzes the grassroots efforts of the working and unemployed poor of three Appalachian communities to improve their towns ' devastated economy in an era of rapid economic change and globalization. While all three were beset by plant closings, their forms of political mobilization, both before and after the shutdown, differed. Each group of workers mounted a communitywide campaign designed to convince the company to stay, to induce local government action, to receive pay and benefits due, and to influence state legislation and economic development policy. Mobilization in the wake of a plant closing is rather extraordinary, especially in …

Allied Health Professions In The Health-Sector Job Structure, Françoise J. Carré

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article reviews the characteristics of allied health professions in the U.S., Massachusetts, and Boston health sectors. These occupations are considered in the broader context of the multitiered job structure of the health sector and their gender and ethnic composition. The discussion includes surveys of vacancy rates and wage levels for selected allied health professions in Massachusetts hospitals. The article concludes with a more detailed, albeit national, picture of these occupations in the hospital sector per se, their demographic composition, and earnings level.

Performance And Accountability In Human Services: Ownership And Responsibility Of Professionals, Anna-Marie Madison

New England Journal of Public Policy

The recent frenzy of grant makers and government agencies in requiring impact evaluations of all grant recipients has created consternation among human service providers. To ensure their agencies' survival and worker job security, the leaders are faced with meeting the demands offunder-driven programming. Agencies seeking funding must comply with funder-defined needs and accountability criteria rather than their public missions. This article describes the use of mission-based performance evaluation rather than funder compliance to demonstrate accountability for mission accomplishment.

Improving Workforce Conditions In Private Human Service Agencies: A Partnership Between A Union And Human Service Providers, James Green

New England Journal of Public Policy

In 1995 the Service Employees International Union Local 509 and four Massachusetts human service providers signed an unusual agreement to forge a partnership in which employers would remain neutral while the union approached its workers with an offer to advocate in the state legislature for greater funding for private human service employees and to promote cooperative relations with their employers. This study examines the context of the agreement and the pressures on public employee unions and small human service providers whose workforce copes with low wages, high turnover, meager benefits, and poor public image as well as the give-and-take between …

Research To Practice: Unrealized Potential: Differing Outcomes For Individuals With Mental Retardation And Other Disability Groups, Sheila Fesko

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

A national study examined job search practices used by community rehabilitation providers and state vocational rehabilitation counselors. Employment outcomes for individuals with mental retardation are contrasted with those for individuals with other disabilities.

Critical Thinking In The Workplace, Gloria Asselta Cairns

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

Richard Paul, a leading figure in the critical thinkng movement, and Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration report that the need for applying critical thinking skills in the workplace is essential, if America is to remain competitive in the global economy. The degree to which employees think insightfully and are able to resolve complex problems will determine how competitive a business remains. In the past two decades, an unprecedented number of American businesses have been bought out, merged with another, or downsized.

Research To Practice: Trends In Supported Employment: The Experiences Of 94 Community Rehabilitation Service Providers From 1986 - 1991, Dana Scott Gilmore, John Butterworth

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

A follow-back study (data from 1986 and 1991) examined service patterns of community rehabilitation providers for supported employment, competitive employment, and sheltered workshops.