Ticket to Work Ticket to Work One Stop Employment One Stop Employment

Strategy Strategy A Report on the Full Employment’s Council

Ticket to Work Program

 By

Gary E. Enyard, Project Manager/Rehabilitation Coordinator

The Full Employment Council The Full Employment Council

The Full Employment Council The Full Employment Council is a business-led,

private, nonprofit corporation whose mission is to obtain public and private sector employment for the unemployed and

underemployed residents of the Greater Kansas City area. The Full Employment

Council also serves as the fiscal agent for the One Stop Career Centers in the Greater

Kansas City area.

The Full Employment Council The Full Employment Council

The Full Employment Council accomplishes this goal by working in collaboration with business, local units of government,

educational institutions, labor and community-based organizations. This partnership

responds to employer needs while reducing unemployment, underemployment and the

public dependency of area residents.

BackgroundBackground

 The decision to become an EN (Employment Network) under the Ticket to Work program

evolved as a natural progression from the Full Employment Council’s experience as a Work

Incentive Grantee. The Full Employment Council received a Work Incentive Grant in October 2000 to improve the capacity of the One-Stop System to more effectively serve

individuals with disabilities.

BackgroundBackground

The decision to become an EN (Employment Network) was based on

the fact that the One- Stop system was serving clients with disabilities under the

Work Incentive Grant. Additionally, it was noted that the One Stop system was serving a number of individuals with disabilities who were receiving

social security benefits.

BackgroundBackground

The Ticket program presented an opportunity to be reimbursed for services already being

provided to clients under WIA and non-WIA programming and at the same time afford the Full Employment Council the opportunity to access additional funds by targeting Ticket

beneficiaries. Therefore the Full Employment Council became an EN in January 2003.

Disability ResourcesDisability Resources

The resource infrastructure for Ticket beneficiaries established under the Work

Incentive grant was established in partnership with the Missouri Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation

Institute, Jewish Vocational Service, Helping Hand of Goodwill, Greater

Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, and the Local Investment Commission.

Resources at the One- Stop Resources at the One- Stop centers include the following:centers include the following:

physical and program accessibility placement of Rehabilitation Specialists within each One Stop

center placement of One Stop Liaison Vocational Rehabilitation

Counselors at each One Stop center utilization of tools to screen for disabilities, to include specific

learning disabilities placement of assistant technology equipment within the One

Stop center

Resources at the One- Stop centers Resources at the One- Stop centers

include the followinginclude the following::

placement of language interpretive services within each One Stop center

development of a management information system to track individuals with disabilities

establishment of disability web site through the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce (kchasjobs.com)

continuous cross training of One Stop staff and partner staff on vocational and disability aspects

establishment of a Rehabilitation Advisory Board

Implementation ChallengesImplementation Challenges

Inadequate staffing Lack of disability training Marketing and outreach Client Screening Call volume WIA benchmarks Non-WIA Funding Access to BPAO Relationships with other organizations Lack of upfront capital Medical stability

Current StatusCurrent Status

The Ticket program has been integrated into the One Stop menu of services

Ticket beneficiaries are being evaluated for services Ticket beneficiaries are being enrolled into WIA and

non-WIA programming Ticket beneficiaries are being placed into training Ticket beneficiaries are being pre-screened Ticket beneficiaries are being referred for placement

  ConclusionsConclusions

  The decision to utilize the Ticket program as an employment strategy within the One Stop

system has been positive in that the strengths of the One-Stop Centers are classroom

training, on the job training, internships, work experience and employer contact. These

strengths compare favorably with that of traditional vocational rehabilitation programs, which tend to be strong in the area of medical

diagnostic, evaluation and assessment.

ConclusionsConclusions

The Ticket program has forced the One- Stop staff to acquire a level of expertise

in vocational and disability aspects, which previously they felt no obligation

to acquire.

ConclusionsConclusions

The establishment of a strong partnership with Vocational Rehabilitation is crucial

in securing supportive services and expertise on the accommodations of

certain disabilities.

ConclusionsConclusions

The Ticket program as an employment strategy at the Full Employment Council

is a work in progress. There is still a need for additional staff with training and experience in the placement of

individuals with disabilities and the need to identify sufficient funding beyond WIA

funding to serve Ticket beneficiaries.

ConclusionsConclusions

  As the One Stop system gains more experience, there is every reason to conclude that utilizing the Ticket to Work Program as an employment

strategy will turn out to be a prudent and profitable decision.