CTWS Integrated Plan FY2000-2004

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SERVICES TO EMPLOYERS

FUNCTIONAL INTEGRATION QUESTIONS 10 - 19

Services to Employers-Outreach

Guidelines Pages 48-49 10. What are the Board's expectations and goals for outreach to employers? How do these expectations relate to applicable goals and objectives described in the Strategic Section of the local plan? Include in your discussion:
a. The goals set by the Board that direct Center Operators in performing the outreach function.
b. Current and planned activities performed by the Board that facilitate outreach to employers.
c. How the Board oversees and monitors outreach to employers.

As demonstrated in Template II, the goal of the Central Texas Workforce Board's which most clearly supports local employers is: To meet the human resource needs of Central Texas businesses. The Board further defines the goal to acknowledge minimal service levels available for all Central Texas employers and a focus on satisfying the human resource needs of business customers of the workforce system. The goal measurement is described as an increase in repeat usage of standard and customized services as demonstrated by the number of business customers receiving a service from the Central Texas Workforce System more than once during an employment service program year (September 1 to August 31) divided by the total number of business customers receiving a service at least once during the same year.
Outreach goals specific to Central Texas businesses are in the process of being refined by a special appointed subcommittee of the Central Texas Workforce Board. The subcommittee has already completed a study of potential services levels that have resulted in Board-adopted policy that clearly defines basic service levels, including but not limited to suppressed and unsuppressed job orders, that are provided at no charge; the policy acknowledges that customized and extensive services provided beyond the basic level can be provided to local businesses using a fee for service structure that is still being developed. By developing clearly defined service levels, the Central Texas Workforce Board has provided guidance to support Business Services Unit and Workforce Center staff in realistically marketing current and potential services to local businesses.
Additionally, the Marketing Committee of the Central Texas Workforce Board is reviewing outreach efforts by the local Workforce Center to businesses. The review by the Marketing Committee was prompted in 1999 following initial, minimal marketing of services to businesses which resulted in a substantial increase in usage that could potential overwhelm the capacity of the local delivery system should marketing efforts be increased. Review by the Marketing Committee is currently awaiting Central-Texas' business usage data that will be used to develop local business segments and target key businesses with appropriate levels of marketing efforts. Following review by the Marketing Committee, a targeted marketing plan will be developed using the guidance and products of the Central Texas Workforce System's procured and contracted marketing agency, ArtWorks.
Local outreach methods for businesses in Central Texas was developed using input gathered from business, job seeker, and workforce staff focus groups conducted by the University of Central Texas Research Institute on behalf of the Central Texas Workforce Board. Based on business customer input, the Central Texas Business Services Unit was designed to provide a seamless system of service access supported by single points of contact. Additionally, outreach and service efforts are expanded through electronic access mediums provided through the Central Texas Workforce System Web Site, www.workforcelink.com and, more specifically, the Taking Care of Business customer information management database.
While clearly demonstrated by the need to target marketing efforts, the Central Texas Workforce Board also evaluates the success of outreach efforts of the Business Services Unit during the Board's monthly business meetings. Examples of success used by the Central Texas Board include, Wagner Peyser Employment Service performance reports; reports related to participation and support of Rapid Response, Job Fairs, Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development, customized training mediation; and written acknowledgements from local business customers and/or local newspaper media.

Services to Employers-Outreach

Guidelines Pages 48 - 49 11. What policies and marketing strategies has the Board established (or has plans to establish) to attract and encourage employer participation? Include in your discussion:
a. Examples of successful marketing strategies used in the local area (e.g., brochures, radio/TV spots, newspaper ads, job fairs, etc.).
b. The role of the local media in these marketing strategies.
c. How Boards identify new, expanding and prospective employers in the local area and those employers who have not previously been contacted.

With the assistance of the Central Texas Workforce Board's marketing agency, ArtWorks, the Board has successfully developed and implemented a local marketing plan. The plan, which was developed in 1998, is regularly reviewed and revised by the Marketing Committee of the Central Texas Workforce Board to ensure appropriate outreach efforts that are in place to attract and encourage employer participation. Products resulting from implementation of the plan included establishing a business image by developing and promoting:
- a new, common logo to be used by all Central Texas Workforce System service access sites;
- a single point of contact through local number transfer to single telephone system as well as toll-free numbers for rural areas, and
- a new identify including new stationery, business cards, a common Center identification using system name on all signage and advertising; targeted marketing brochures, outdoor boards, a professional display board, promotional material and newspaper ads.
The Central Texas Workforce System is also marketed by active participation of appropriate staff on local Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development, and local Job Fairs. Additionally, marketing efforts are:
- supported by local media acknowledgement and Workforce-specific articles produced by the Central Texas Workforce Board as News Releases and paid advertising ads, or
- developed by media reporters in response to invitations to attend notable workforce system activities.
Finally, identification of prospective business customers are identified through partnerships supported by Memorandums of Understanding with the Texas Woman's Small Business Enterprise and the Killeen Chambers of Commerce. The Memorandums of Understanding clearly define roles and responsibilities of all partners including the requirement to jointly market identified sponsored services and workshops.
Following final recommendation by the Marketing Committee and approval by the Texas Workforce Board, future outreach is planned to include radio and television advertising.

Services to Employers-Outreach

Guidelines Pages 48-49 12. Who performs outreach activities to employers in the local area (e.g., a group designated to perform the function of a Business Services Unit or a group consisting of individuals from all services within the Center)? Citing specific examples, include in your discussion:
a. A description of how Center partners collaborate and coordinate to expand the employer base in the local area.
b. How Center partners participate in these endeavors and apprise employers of all the services available to them throughout the local area (e.g., presentations, cold calls, documentation, etc.).
c. How Center partners share information to better coordinate outreach initiatives.

Staff of the Business Services Unit serves as the single point of contact* to market workforce services to local employers. The six-person service team begins sales contacts with local businesses through presentations at local Chambers, Economic Development, and civic meetings. The staff of the Business Services Unit is responsible for accepting job orders or requests for customized assistance over the telephone or while visiting with an employer at a business site. The services of the Business Services Unit are supported by and documented with laptops with docking stations and modems, palm pilots, and the local Taking Care of Business employer information management database. The Taking Care of Business database supports documentation and supervisor tracking of orders, job matching to a local electronic talent bank, auto-responder acknowledgment of orders and satisfaction surveys, and customized reporting. The Internet based database also allows local businesses customers to review their account activities and make direct e-mail contact to their Business Service team member or supervisor if they are not satisfied with activities completed on their order.
All job order data received through the Business Services Unit are also entered into the Texas Hires system. At this time the entry of data into the Texas Hires system requires "double-entry" of data resulting in duplication of staff effort; coordination/communication between the Taking Care of Business database and the Texas Hire system is being pursued.
As stated in Question # 11, partnerships supported by Memorandums of Understanding with the Texas Woman's Small Business Enterprise and the Killeen Chamber of Commerce. The Memorandums of Understanding clearly define roles and responsibilities of all partners including the requirement by all partners to jointly market identified sponsored services and workshops thereby promoting and coordinating local business customer outreach efforts. Another method of joint outreach is accomplished through the Killeen Workforce Center's Business Resource Center; the local Memorandums of Understanding document that the outreach efforts of the Texas Woman's Small Business Enterprise and the Killeen Chamber of Commerce will include provision of staff to support the Business Resource Center.
Finally, Center partners share information to better coordinate business outreach initiatives through senior, administrative, and front-line staff meetings. With the exception of specialized services (for example, veterans, youth and public assistance initiatives) the Business Services Unit is identified as the primary mechanism for outreach to businesses. Through the use of coordination meetings and the Central Texas Workforce System automated communication systems, staff is better informed to support local businesses with recruiting, interviewing and/or training activities hosted in local Workforce Centers.

Services to Employers-Labor Market Assessment and Service Planning

Guidelines Pages 49-50 13. Discuss the specific sources used by the Board to gather information about the local labor market. Include in your discussion:
a. How the Board utilizes labor market information to plan services to employers (e.g., employer focus groups).
b. How this information assists Boards in defining the educational and training needs in the local area.

Demand and target occupations are identified using the 10-step approach identified in the Texas Workforce Commission Planning Guidelines. Resources used to develop and refine data include but are not limited to:
- the Socrates/SOICC website, http://socrates.soicc.state.tx.us
- the TRACER website, www.twc.state.tx.us/lmi/tracer/tracerhome.html
- the LMI website, www.twc.state.tx.us/lmi/lfs/lfshome.html
- local Regional Planning census data and projections; data from Central Texas Workforce System education, business, and Chambers of Commerce partners; and Texas Workforce Commission and SOICC publications.
Following identification and initial verification of demand, target, and emerging occupations by Central Texas Workforce Board staff. The staff categorizes the occupational areas into low, medium and high wage opportunities to further enhance the value of the data to local decision makers and job seekers. The resulting lists are then presented in a Public Hearing forum to local businesses and educators for review and confirmation. Following the Public Hearing, statistical analysis is applied with local wisdom applied whenever justified by the data. The resulting low, medium, and high wage demand, target, and emerging occupations lists are used by decision makers when developing strategic and operational plans and by Central Texas Workforce System staff, partners, and job seekers when developing employment and/or training plans supporting a work first philosophy with continued services until work leads to employment of self-sufficiency.

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SERVICES TO EMPLOYERS FUNCTIONAL INTEGRATION QUESTIONS 10 - 19
Services to Employers-Outreach
Guidelines Pages 48-49	10. What are the Board's expectations and goals for outreach to employers? How do these expectations relate to applicable goals and objectives described in the Strategic Section of the local plan? Include in your discussion: a. The goals set by the Board that direct Center Operators in performing the outreach function. b. Current and planned activities performed by the Board that facilitate outreach to employers. c. How the Board oversees and monitors outreach to employers.
As demonstrated in Template II, the goal of the Central Texas Workforce Board's which most clearly supports local employers is: To meet the human resource needs of Central Texas businesses. The Board further defines the goal to acknowledge minimal service levels available for all Central Texas employers and a focus on satisfying the human resource needs of business customers of the workforce system. The goal measurement is described as an increase in repeat usage of standard and customized services as demonstrated by the number of business customers receiving a service from the Central Texas Workforce System more than once during an employment service program year (September 1 to August 31) divided by the total number of business customers receiving a service at least once during the same year. Outreach goals specific to Central Texas businesses are in the process of being refined by a special appointed subcommittee of the Central Texas Workforce Board. The subcommittee has already completed a study of potential services levels that have resulted in Board-adopted policy that clearly defines basic service levels, including but not limited to suppressed and unsuppressed job orders, that are provided at no charge; the policy acknowledges that customized and extensive services provided beyond the basic level can be provided to local businesses using a fee for service structure that is still being developed. By developing clearly defined service levels, the Central Texas Workforce Board has provided guidance to support Business Services Unit and Workforce Center staff in realistically marketing current and potential services to local businesses. Additionally, the Marketing Committee of the Central Texas Workforce Board is reviewing outreach efforts by the local Workforce Center to businesses. The review by the Marketing Committee was prompted in 1999 following initial, minimal marketing of services to businesses which resulted in a substantial increase in usage that could potential overwhelm the capacity of the local delivery system should marketing efforts be increased. Review by the Marketing Committee is currently awaiting Central-Texas' business usage data that will be used to develop local business segments and target key businesses with appropriate levels of marketing efforts. Following review by the Marketing Committee, a targeted marketing plan will be developed using the guidance and products of the Central Texas Workforce System's procured and contracted marketing agency, ArtWorks. Local outreach methods for businesses in Central Texas was developed using input gathered from business, job seeker, and workforce staff focus groups conducted by the University of Central Texas Research Institute on behalf of the Central Texas Workforce Board. Based on business customer input, the Central Texas Business Services Unit was designed to provide a seamless system of service access supported by single points of contact. Additionally, outreach and service efforts are expanded through electronic access mediums provided through the Central Texas Workforce System Web Site, www.workforcelink.com and, more specifically, the Taking Care of Business customer information management database. While clearly demonstrated by the need to target marketing efforts, the Central Texas Workforce Board also evaluates the success of outreach efforts of the Business Services Unit during the Board's monthly business meetings. Examples of success used by the Central Texas Board include, Wagner Peyser Employment Service performance reports; reports related to participation and support of Rapid Response, Job Fairs, Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development, customized training mediation; and written acknowledgements from local business customers and/or local newspaper media.

Services to Employers-Outreach
Guidelines Pages 48 - 49	11. What policies and marketing strategies has the Board established (or has plans to establish) to attract and encourage employer participation? Include in your discussion: a. Examples of successful marketing strategies used in the local area (e.g., brochures, radio/TV spots, newspaper ads, job fairs, etc.). b. The role of the local media in these marketing strategies. c. How Boards identify new, expanding and prospective employers in the local area and those employers who have not previously been contacted.
With the assistance of the Central Texas Workforce Board's marketing agency, ArtWorks, the Board has successfully developed and implemented a local marketing plan. The plan, which was developed in 1998, is regularly reviewed and revised by the Marketing Committee of the Central Texas Workforce Board to ensure appropriate outreach efforts that are in place to attract and encourage employer participation. Products resulting from implementation of the plan included establishing a business image by developing and promoting: - a new, common logo to be used by all Central Texas Workforce System service access sites; - a single point of contact through local number transfer to single telephone system as well as toll-free numbers for rural areas, and - a new identify including new stationery, business cards, a common Center identification using system name on all signage and advertising; targeted marketing brochures, outdoor boards, a professional display board, promotional material and newspaper ads. The Central Texas Workforce System is also marketed by active participation of appropriate staff on local Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development, and local Job Fairs. Additionally, marketing efforts are: - supported by local media acknowledgement and Workforce-specific articles produced by the Central Texas Workforce Board as News Releases and paid advertising ads, or - developed by media reporters in response to invitations to attend notable workforce system activities. Finally, identification of prospective business customers are identified through partnerships supported by Memorandums of Understanding with the Texas Woman's Small Business Enterprise and the Killeen Chambers of Commerce. The Memorandums of Understanding clearly define roles and responsibilities of all partners including the requirement to jointly market identified sponsored services and workshops. Following final recommendation by the Marketing Committee and approval by the Texas Workforce Board, future outreach is planned to include radio and television advertising.

Services to Employers-Outreach
Guidelines Pages 48-49	12. Who performs outreach activities to employers in the local area (e.g., a group designated to perform the function of a Business Services Unit or a group consisting of individuals from all services within the Center)? Citing specific examples, include in your discussion: a. A description of how Center partners collaborate and coordinate to expand the employer base in the local area. b. How Center partners participate in these endeavors and apprise employers of all the services available to them throughout the local area (e.g., presentations, cold calls, documentation, etc.). c. How Center partners share information to better coordinate outreach initiatives.
Staff of the Business Services Unit serves as the single point of contact* to market workforce services to local employers. The six-person service team begins sales contacts with local businesses through presentations at local Chambers, Economic Development, and civic meetings. The staff of the Business Services Unit is responsible for accepting job orders or requests for customized assistance over the telephone or while visiting with an employer at a business site. The services of the Business Services Unit are supported by and documented with laptops with docking stations and modems, palm pilots, and the local Taking Care of Business employer information management database. The Taking Care of Business database supports documentation and supervisor tracking of orders, job matching to a local electronic talent bank, auto-responder acknowledgment of orders and satisfaction surveys, and customized reporting. The Internet based database also allows local businesses customers to review their account activities and make direct e-mail contact to their Business Service team member or supervisor if they are not satisfied with activities completed on their order. All job order data received through the Business Services Unit are also entered into the Texas Hires system. At this time the entry of data into the Texas Hires system requires "double-entry" of data resulting in duplication of staff effort; coordination/communication between the Taking Care of Business database and the Texas Hire system is being pursued. As stated in Question # 11, partnerships supported by Memorandums of Understanding with the Texas Woman's Small Business Enterprise and the Killeen Chamber of Commerce. The Memorandums of Understanding clearly define roles and responsibilities of all partners including the requirement by all partners to jointly market identified sponsored services and workshops thereby promoting and coordinating local business customer outreach efforts. Another method of joint outreach is accomplished through the Killeen Workforce Center's Business Resource Center; the local Memorandums of Understanding document that the outreach efforts of the Texas Woman's Small Business Enterprise and the Killeen Chamber of Commerce will include provision of staff to support the Business Resource Center. Finally, Center partners share information to better coordinate business outreach initiatives through senior, administrative, and front-line staff meetings. With the exception of specialized services (for example, veterans, youth and public assistance initiatives) the Business Services Unit is identified as the primary mechanism for outreach to businesses. Through the use of coordination meetings and the Central Texas Workforce System automated communication systems, staff is better informed to support local businesses with recruiting, interviewing and/or training activities hosted in local Workforce Centers.

Services to Employers-Labor Market Assessment and Service Planning
Guidelines Pages 49-50	13. Discuss the specific sources used by the Board to gather information about the local labor market. Include in your discussion: a. How the Board utilizes labor market information to plan services to employers (e.g., employer focus groups). b. How this information assists Boards in defining the educational and training needs in the local area.
Demand and target occupations are identified using the 10-step approach identified in the Texas Workforce Commission Planning Guidelines. Resources used to develop and refine data include but are not limited to: - the Socrates/SOICC website, http://socrates.soicc.state.tx.us - the TRACER website, www.twc.state.tx.us/lmi/tracer/tracerhome.html - the LMI website, www.twc.state.tx.us/lmi/lfs/lfshome.html - local Regional Planning census data and projections; data from Central Texas Workforce System education, business, and Chambers of Commerce partners; and Texas Workforce Commission and SOICC publications. Following identification and initial verification of demand, target, and emerging occupations by Central Texas Workforce Board staff. The staff categorizes the occupational areas into low, medium and high wage opportunities to further enhance the value of the data to local decision makers and job seekers. The resulting lists are then presented in a Public Hearing forum to local businesses and educators for review and confirmation. Following the Public Hearing, statistical analysis is applied with local wisdom applied whenever justified by the data. The resulting low, medium, and high wage demand, target, and emerging occupations lists are used by decision makers when developing strategic and operational plans and by Central Texas Workforce System staff, partners, and job seekers when developing employment and/or training plans supporting a work first philosophy with continued services until work leads to employment of self-sufficiency.