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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 06-18-2013 - 4a 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: June 18, 2013 Action Agenda Item No. 4-a SUBJECT: Social Services Best Practices Award DEPARTMENT: Social Services, Emergency PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No Services ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Coston, 245-2802 Sharron Hinton, 245-2840 Kim Woodward, 245-6100 PURPOSE: To acknowledge the job training partnership between Orange County Social Services (DSS) and Orange County Emergency Services for the Emergency Medical Technician Training and Employment Program for Work First Recipients, which resulted in Orange County receiving the Best Practices Award from the NC Association of County Directors of Social Services. BACKGROUND: Beginning in 2010, the County Emergency Services Department was experiencing difficulty finding good applicants to hire and train for Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) positions. Recognizing this, management at Emergency Services and Social Services partnered to place Work First clients at Emergency Services for work experience. Talented, hard-working Work First participants were given opportunities to receive training through an EMT certification program available at Durham Technical Community College, while simultaneously engaging in work experience activities at Emergency Services. Those who successfully completed the training were certified through the state and offered full-time employment. Natasha Evans and Shunte Bryant are in their second year of full-time employment with Orange County Emergency Services. Both are doing well and have expressed an interest in advancing in this field. This program achieved the dual goals of helping Work First participants obtain full- time, permanent employment at a wage that moved them toward self-sufficiency and helping Emergency Services find motivated, qualified individuals to employ as EMTs. This partnership was successful because it targeted an organization with a clear staffing need and identified clients with the desired interest and potential to succeed. Because of the work experience component, Emergency Services was comfortable with the potential applicants and therefore willing to hire them once training was complete. 2 This program can be duplicated with other organizations and businesses. Work First staff is working to strategically identify partners who have a staffing need in positions with higher wages that can be resolved by providing Work First clients with appropriate training. Placing potential applicants at the organization for work experience prior to sending them to training allows the partner organization an opportunity to evaluate clients. This makes the organization much more likely to hire a Work First client once the training is complete. Currently, there are approximately 33 work experience sites. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board accept the Best Practices Award from the NC Association of County Directors of Social Services as information and thank the Social Services and Emergency Services Departments and staff for their cooperative efforts on this project.