|
CalWORKs Social
Services Case Managers Edition
Spring 2001 Vol. 2 #1
A
Savvy Program at SAC off with Budding Careers for CalWORKs Student.
A sigh on a theatre marquee
in Orange reads, "Only you can use your ability."
Understanding this may be the single most important factor in helping
students succeed. The Job Coaching Practicum developed and taught by
Eileen Granosky gives students the tools they need to use the ability they
have developed in the classroom and in work-study.
The Job Coaching Practicum
is also taught by a bilingual counselor at the Marketplace Education
Center, one of our non-credit sites. Students are held to workplace
standard: they must arrive on time, participate, learn leadership, and
work together in small groups. Counselors and students coach each
other and work in teams on case studies and exercises, pooling ideas,
sharing experiences, and applying new knowledge and skills to reach
conclusions and solutions.
 Job
developers like Gregg James, profiled in this issue, pursue on-the-job
training opportunities that can lead to permanent employment at jobs that
dramatically increase students' chances to attain a livable wage in Orange
County.
But to get these jobs at
companies like kilgore Machine and Breezee Screen and Glass, CalWORKS
students Hanh Do and Shannon Dixon had to use their abilities the
abilities students develop in this all-important Job Coaching Practicum.
"It ties everything
together," Greeg says. "When I send a student out on a job
interview, they know how they should look and act. They know how to
introduce themselves, answer questions, and present their portfolio of
accomplishments.
"Most important, they
know what is expected of them on the job. They know they have to be
on time, and be there every day. They know how to be respectful, as
well as how to ask questions, resolve conflicts, and deal with other
difficult situations. They even know how to quit a job, if that
becomes necessary.
"They not only have the
ability they need, they know how to use it!"
Company
Looks for Good Attitude and Flexibility
Shannon Dixon didn't just
get a job at Breezee Screen and Glass, she joined a team. Although
the company needed her expertise in Business Applications and
Technology, "When you have only seven employees, the ability to
be flexible and to work well with others is really important," says
Tim McDonald, one of the company's founders.
 The
12-year-old company has carved a niche for itself in supplying screens and
glass to apartment communities, including the Irvine Apartment Community (IAC),
a division of the Irvine Company. "It's hard to become a preferred
vendor in apartment communities, and we have to be committed to customer
service to retain that status," Tim says, which is one reason the
company's goal is to retain employees who share the knowledge and
commitment necessary to ensure customer satisfaction.
The 12-year-old company has
carved a niche for itself in supplying screens and glass to apartment
communities, including the Irvine Apartment Community (IAC), a division of
the Irvine Company.
"It's hard to become a
preferred vendor in apartment communities, and we have to be committed to
customer service to retain that status," Tim says, which is one
reason the company's goal is to retain employees who share the knowledge
and commitment necessary to ensure customer satisfaction.
Thanks to her CalWORKs
education plan, Shannon was well-trained in QuickBooks, Microsoft Office
and Access programs to take over many of the daily bookkeeping and
accounting duties Tim was handling. But her enthusiasm, work ethic
and attitude really put her over the top.
"CalWORKs offers every
resource anyone needs to succeed-even transportation," Shannon says.
"I was able to go to school on the same campus where my daughter was
in day care and participate in a work study program."
Shannon took advantage of it
all, and when Tim needed an employee who was qualified to handle a variety
of bookkeeping duties, including accounts payable and receivable, as well
as part due collectables, Shannon was ready. Tim also appreciates
the advantage of hiring CalWORKs students, which may carry significant
financial incentives. But above all, he appreciates the advantage of
having an employee who has proven herself to be highly motivated to get
and keep a good job in a company that hires for the long haul.
Employer
Finds On-the-Job Training Produces Long-Term Employees
Kilgore Machines has been in
business at the same location in Santa Ana for 32 years. It also has
a division in Paradise, just north of Sacramento. Its two main
accounts are Parker_Hannifin and Boeing; 90% of its business is aerospace.
Tell Me about your
experience using CalWORKs students. I got a call from Gregg James (CalWORKs
Job Developer at Santa Ana College) two years ago. We weren't hiring
at that time, but be kept after me to try someone from CalWORKs, and in
about October last year I decided to do it.
Were you pleased with the
first student who was referred? No, the first guy didn't work out,
because his work ethic wasn't as strong as it could have been. But I
Said I'd give it another try, and Gregg sent over Hanh Do, who has been a
real success story. He's really good.
Did he have any machining
skills prior to coming here? Just the machining classes he took at Santa
Ana College.
Was that enough Training?
CalWORKs students come to us for on-the-job training; it rounds out the
education plan developed with their caseworkers. I'm cross-training
Hanh on several machines. Hanh started off partime, working four
hours a day and then going back to school to the machinists class. I
started him out at $7.75 an hour, and he worked out so well that I've
given him four raises since then. He became a full-time employee the
first of the year, and we've worked out a schedule so that he can continue
taking classes at Santa Ana College.
So you're pleased with
Hanh's progress-you think he has a future here?
It's worked out great so
far. He's really good. He stays on task- that's the big
thing-and when you give him something to do, he gets it done. He's
here every day; he wants to learn more, and he's ambitious. Business
is booming, and we just added two new machines. Hanh is in line to be a
key member of one of the production cells I'm building right now. He
will alternately be running two machines.
And you'll hire through
CalWORKs again?
Yes, when we can identify
the right student. It's a win/win for everybody. First, you get your
part-time money back while the student is in CalWORKs, and then, half of
the full-time wages are tax-deductible because of the Enterprise Zone,
which covers most of Santa Ana. so it's a really beneficial thing for a
small business in Santa Ana. And my customers benefit from these tax
breaks, too. In fact, another employee, Magdalena Leyba, was in
CalWORKs last year. She's great, too. She's not in school
anymore, but we still get to take to Enterprise Zone tax credit.
A word about Hanh Do:
Hanh is the father of a
daughter, 16 and a son, 13. When he isn't working or taking classes
at Santa Ana College he spends time helping his children with their
homework, or working on his computer. Hanh started at $7.75 an hour,
and is now up to $10.25 an hour. "I can now work on every piece of
machinery in the shop, but my favorite activity is working on the milling
machine," he says.
Hanh attributes his success
to the CalWORKs program and to Gregg James, "who helped me a
lot. And if I hadn't gotten help from the CalWORKs program, I
couldn't have gotten this job, because I would have no experience."
Funded by the California
Community College Funds for Student Success (FSS)
Rancho Santiago Community
College District
Marketplace Education Center, CalWORKs
201 E. 4th Street
Santa Ana, CA 92701-4603
CalWORKs
Newsletter Archives
|
