| O*NET
in Action: Wisconsin
"Career Development for Job Center
and Resource Room Staff"
Wisconsin Department of Workforce
Development
Summary
Wisconsin's Department of Workforce
Development (DWD) works with a network of 79 local Job Centers (the equivalent
of One-Stops) across the State. Each has a resource area and a mission
to provide high quality career information to job seekers and other customers.
In many of the Centers, local staff wanted or needed to become more knowledgeable
about the career development needs of diverse clients and the array of
resources available to assist them.
To help staff improve their career
development skills and services, DWD's Division of Workforce Solutions
developed a 3-day, competency-based training curriculum. It includes an
introduction to O*NET® information. Almost 500 workers have received
the training and given it high marks. In 2001, the National Association
of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) gave the Wisconsin effort high marks,
too, with an award for its innovative and effective training.
How is O*NET being used?
Wisconsin's Job Centers were seeing
more customers seeking a wider variety of career development services.
Staff often felt they lacked expertise and training in these areas and
were unfamiliar with the wealth of career development materials available
for use in resource rooms. Training in career development, assessment,
and resource materials was critical to providing effective customer service.
The DWD's Division of Workforce Solutions
identified competencies for paraprofessional-level career development and
resource room providers. These competencies became the basis for developing
and implementing a customer-oriented curriculum to train staff. The National
Occupational Information Coordinating Committee (NOICC) had developed such
a curriculum. However, it required 120 hours to complete. This was more
time than feasible while staff were providing continuous service to customers.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison's
Center on Education and Work and the Division of Workforce Solutions collaborated
in condensing the NOICC Career Development Facilitator curriculum. They
compressed the most critical pieces into an intensive 3-day course that
they could offer to all local employment and training partners. Focused
on customer service and career development, the course devotes time to
helping and listening skills, disability issues, and needs of special populations,
such as older workers and fatherhood initiative participants. It includes
training in a wide variety of career development and occupational information
resources, including O*NET and O*NET OnLine. Students learn how to use
and to judge interest inventories and assessment tools, among them the
O*NET Work Importance Locator and the O*NET Interest Profiler.
Who is your target population?
Paraprofessional-level staff in Job
Centers and resource rooms who want to upgrade their career development
skills are the primary audience for this training. Staff of partner agencies,
such as Goodwill, corrections, private industry councils, vocational rehabilitation,
United Migrant Opportunity Service, welfare-to-work, and private contractors
in workforce development have also sought and received the training. Participants
are usually paraprofessionals, but some professional counselors come for
a refresher, eager to learn about new resources or to pick up skills in
career counseling. Because of the interest among corrections staff, Wisconsin
has developed a customized version of the 3-day course for corrections
personnel. It also includes an orientation to O*NET OnLine and the Wisconsin
career information delivery system for staff with computer and Internet
access.
What kind of results is O*NET
helping you to achieve?
In its first two years, ten 3-day
sessions were offered to 400 staff members. Trainees have indicated that
it was among the best training they have attended, and both staff and management
indicate that workers are better prepared to serve customers.
What are the related program initiatives?
The Division of Workforce Solutions
has recently developed an advanced training program using the same subject
areas but concentrating on more in-depth training in areas of assessment,
career development, special populations, and helping skills.
Is your product, program or service
available for others to use?
Wisconsin DWD's Division of Workforce
Solutions is willing to share the curriculum outline with interested parties,
but does not have resources to provide copies of participant notebooks
or materials.
What other strategies make your
product, program or service successful?
Courses are interactive, featuring
role playing and small group activities. They are limited to 40 participants
per session. Training is announced electronically on the DWD home page,
as well as in email and direct mailings to all Job Centers and partner
agencies. It is provided at no cost to the Center or attendees. Courses
familiarize participants with many kinds of resources that they can order
for their particular resource collections. The training also provides guidance
on how to judge and select the most appropriate tools, vendors, and media
for their target audiences or facilities. Participants receive a 3-ring
binder packed with materials they can use on the job.
Contact
Roger Gantzarow, Director of Counseling
and Training
Wisconsin Dept. of Workforce Development
201 East Washington Ave, Rm. G200
Madison, WI 53702
Voice: 608-266-8390
Fax: 608-267-0330
Email: gantzr@dwd.state.wi.us
URL: http://www.dwd.state.wi.us
O*NET in Action stories illustrate
how the O*NET database is used at the state or local level. References
to particular products, programs or systems are not intended as an endorsement
by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
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