Journal of Primary Prevention, 4t2), Winter, 1983

Spotlight Early Intervention with the Unemployed:

Employment Transition Program of the University of Michigan

Robert Hess Riverwood Community Mental Health Center

Three reasons compel me to write this article. First, the wave of unem- ployment that is washing over the country is substantially different from those that have preceded it. I t results from changes in the basic structure of the American economy and carries with it not only the loss of work, but also the permanent disappearance of jobs themselves. The disappearance of these jobs makes the adults who hold them obsolescent--and the children who aspire to them irrelevant--in the labor market. When the wave recedes, these people will be counted among its victims, unless preventive interventions assist them in defining new work roles appropriate to their skills.

The second reason for writing relates to the experience we have had at our mental health center. As part of a consortium of management, labor, and com- munity agencies and groups in our county, members of our staff have been assisting workers at a large plant which will be closing in the near future. Through our work we have become familiar--in some cases, too famil- i a r -wi th the human problems statistics usually mask. Without such inter- ventions, modest though they be, professionals in human services are likely to face increasing social problems washed up in the wake of unemployment.

The third reason for writing this article has to do with the target of in- terventions and conceptualization of unemployment by human service professionals. A 1982 survey of member centers by the National Council of Community Mental Health Centers illustrates the point. The results indicate that most CMHC staff do not view unemployment p e r s e as a legitimate target for intervention. Rather, they perceive their role as diagnosing and treating "unemployment related problems"--those resulting from the en- vironmental pressures associated with job loss. Such services are a poor sub- stitute for a job.

Many of the skills and techniques applied to "unemployment related problems" by human service professionals are directly applicable to in- terventions aimed at assisting the unemployed in finding new roles in the work force. However, unless interventionists operate within an appropriate conceptual framework, the impact of their services will be diminished.

The Employment Transition Program {ETP) of the University of Michigan

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130 Journal of Primary Prevention

provides such a framework. ETP views unemployment as an economic problem, the solution of which requires an economically oriented program which raises the probability of economic gain. I t also views unemployment as a lack of power, requiring a program that empowers the unemployed by pro- viding them with information, knowledge, and decision-making skills. Traditionally, blue collar workers, the bulk of the presently unemployed, have had their career decisions .made for them by management and unions. Ac- cording to ETP philosophy, these workers need to learn the skills necessary to control their own careers: they need to be empowered.

ETP is an applied research project funded by multiple sources, including the United States Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education, and the National Insti tute of Mental Health. The goal of the project is to increase the probability that participants will reenter the labor force and/or accept retraining, over the probability that non- participants will select these options. The objectives incorporate traditional preventive aims--increasing coping skills, social supports and self esteem, and reducing stressors. More specifically, the program proposes to increase participants': (a) information about the labor market, job seeking and their own interests, skills, abilities and values, (b) self esteem, and (c) skills in problem solving, goal setting, resume development and interviewing; reduce stress, anxiety, and barriers to decision making; and promote the iden- tification of existing formal and informal supports, and the skillful utilization of these systems.

The program, which began in August of 1982, is a five-day, 32-hour training course which includes lectures, discussions, exercises, and homework. I t begins by providing comprehensive and sophisticated information about the economy and labor market so participants can understand why they are unemployed, thus reducing their self-blaming. This information also assists them in realistically determining career directions. ETP provides in-depth training in skills necessary in obtaining employment. As a part of this process, participants assess their own skills, interests, values and work characterisics and explore their influence on career directions. They learn how to search for employment, how to write resumes, and how to interview, in ad- dition to other skills.

ETP has conducted several pilot programs and is currently providing training to about 300 participants with limited educaiton (11.2 years), little youth (48.7 years), and considerable seniority (19 years)--a population almost identical to the population we're assisting in our county. ETP project staff are also followng the prevention model of training trainers, so the program can continue to impact communities once the initial workshop has been com- pleted. A manual, and pre- and post-test materials have been developed. A series of surveys are scheduled to be distributed immediately following each training intervention, at three months, one year, and annually through 1986. These survey data, in combination with pre- post-test results, will provide an evaluation of the success of the program in meeting its goals and objectives.

Many programs targeted to unemployment share one or more components

Spotlight 131

with ETP. This program is notable primarily for its emphasis on an economic solution, as evidenced in the economic concepts and language used. Close scrutiny of the program reveals techniques commonly used by mental health professionals which would be rejected by participants if the language used was that of mental health. The language of economics makes them acceptable. Cost-benefit analysis is a key tool in the workshop. Participants who are thinking of selling their houses and leaving for states with less unemployment are encouraged to use cost-benefit analysis to determine whether or not such a move would be advantageous. Rather than concentrating on the loss of sup- port systems and the emotional effects that go with such a move, the analysis focuses on economic effects:

1. What is the probability that the participant will get a job in the new area?

2. What salary might be expected? 3. How much will housing cost? 4. How much will the sale of present housing realize?

In other words, does potential economic gain offset current and projected economic loss?

While decision making focuses on economics, the program does not make decisions for participants. It provides them with information and training in job related and decision-making skills as prerequisites for making informed career decisions. The information provided is intensive, sophisticated and demanding. ETP assumes participants have the capacity to learn, and the desire to return to a contributing role in the labor force.

ETP, although a relatively new program, is important, because of the materials it has developed, the area it addresses, and, most of all, its con- ceptual framework. It is a program that can be implemented quickly if needed. Corporate decisions regarding layoffs and plant closings are often made with little advance notice to the community, leaving little time for the sometimes complex negotiations necessary to get a program off the ground. For more information about ETP, contact:

Jeanne Gordus, Ph.D. Employment Transition Program Industrial Development Division Institute of Science and Technology University of Michigan 2200 Bonisteel Boulevard Ann Arbor, MI 48109