Agenda - 08-28-2006-5 - Laserfiche WebLink

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8 Workgroup on Work l+'orce Development Overall Strategy: By June 2010, effective systems will be in place to adequately train and support residents and those who work in Orange County. At least 75 percent of all new jobs in the county (for both new and expanding businesses) will be filled by county residents. Why the strategy is critical: As the cost of living (particularly the cost of housing) has increased in the county, it has become difficult for low- and moderate-income workers to live here. Without more training and support, county workers will be unable to support themselves and their families and will be forced to seek various forms of public and private assistance to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, and transportation. In the long run, these workers may choose to leave the county, which may result in a worker shortage for certain businesses. A) Form partnerships with Durham Technical Community College (DTCC), UNC-Chapel Hill, the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Schools, Orange County Schools, and others to provide adequate training and education to enable county workers to obtain high quality jobs (i, e jobs that pqy a IivRrg wage cmd offer comprehensive employee benefits and cm-eer• advancement potential). Most ofYhe wor/c of the Workfor°ce Development group dur•irrg the past year has focused on getting a better understanding of barriers to employment, for local residents. During the course of the year, the workgroup hosted focus groups of temporary agencies, employers, and job seekers wlro were either unemployed or under°employed, Members of the workgroup developed the questions and facilitated the sessions. Tlae employer mrd temporary agency sessions x~ere videotaped, and extensive notes were taken at the employee sessions. In addition, the work group developed a survey of people w/ro are actively looking for worle. In general, errzployers and temporary agency staff note that. job seekers, particularly young applicants, tend to have unrealistic expectations. Several human r°esource specialists noted that young job hunters think they can move into rnanagenrerzt jobs immediately, and tend to expect higher salaries than they are likely to receive. There were also concerns about basic skill deficiencies and attitudes toward work. Among job seekers, the most frequently cited barrier (both in fzndirrg a job and keeping a job) was transportation. Other barriers, frequently cited were childcare, criminal baclcgrourrd, and poor° credit r°eport. In terms of keeping a job, the second most fi°equently cited barrier was pqy too low,. The surrey results as well as a summary of the employee, focus groups are slroram in Attachment B. The next steps for the workgroup include sharing the findir:gs to date with the schools mrd DTCC, as r-hell as sharing results acr°oss groups, possibly in one large focres grrotcp drat includes pm•ticipants fi•onz the previous sessions.