EMPLOYMENT / JOB TRAINING / INCOME SUPPORT
Advanced Human Resource Development Program—In the 1980’s, WRI’s Labor Management Institute contracted with the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations to coordinate and administer a program of advanced training for supervisors in New York State agencies who were represented by the Civil Service Employees Association. The training program—Advanced Human Resource Development—consisted of eight courses provided over a three-day period. Originally developed by the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs, the curriculum covered such skills as logical problem solving, time and stress management, the use and delegation of authority, communication, team building, and analyzing written and numerical information.
Assessment of Personnel Attitudes Toward Employment at Green Haven Correctional Facility—To address the high rate of employee turnover and apparent dissatisfaction among staff at Green Haven Correctional Facility, in 1981 the New York State Department of Correctional Services asked WRI to assess and analyze the characteristics and attitudes of present and former Green Haven employees, as well as the characteristics of the Green Haven inmate population, in relation to those of other maximum security facilities, and to develop recommendations for ways in which the Green Haven work force might be stabilized.
Assistance to the Department of Economic Development’s Skills Training Program—Through this program New York State made funds available for the provision of training designed specifically to create or preserve jobs. Half of the funds were earmarked to serve small businesses and/or people in particular categories of need. In 1989, WRI assisted in the program’s implementation by developing informational and application materials for businesses and training entities interested in obtaining these funds.
Assistance to the Economic Development Zones Program—The Economic Development Zones (EDZ) Program was created to provide a broad array of tax reductions and other incentives to encourage the location or expansion of business in depressed areas. In 1990, WRI contracted with the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), which administered EDZ with the Department of Economic Development, to help potentially eligible communities engage in the program of economic revitalization. Activities included the development of outreach, application, and evaluation materials, a general information brochure, and marketing brochures for businesses.
Audiovisual Program on New Business Ventures for Development—To assist the New York State Education Department in its efforts to encourage small business development throughout the state, WRI produced a 12-minute slide-tape program for the Department. The intended audience for this 1986 presentation included high school students, chambers of commerce, and representatives of the banking industry. WRI also produced an informational brochure for prospective entrepreneurs.
Audiovisual Program on Technology Careers—WRI wrote the scripts for two slide/tape programs on careers in high technology and biotechnology and produced the programs for the New York State Education Department. Intended to acquaint teachers and counselors with career opportunities for high school students, the programs were used in a series of regional occupational education meetings held throughout the state in the 1988-89 school year.
Comparative Study of the General Assistance Caseloads in Bridgeport and Hartford—WRI, in concert with Quality Management Associates, conducted this study in 1995 to determine reasons for the disproportionate size of Hartford’s General Assistance (GA) caseload in comparison to other Connecticut cities. The study, initiated by the City of Hartford, the General Assembly, and the Connecticut Department of Social Services, was prepared for the Office of Legislative Management, State of Connecticut.
Design of a Quality Control System That Integrates AFDC, Food Stamps, and Medicaid—Because the existing, separate quality control systems of HEW and the Department of Agriculture were expensive to operate, WRI formulated a model integrated quality control system (IQCS) that integrated the sampling frames of the three categorical programs. A pilot test of the IQCS was conducted in Albany County to demonstrate the feasibility of the system. Findings indicated that the use of an IQCS could reduce the overall sample size by 20-30 percent. Moreover, the 1977 study showed that the IQCS could be conducted by moderate sized counties.
Development of a Workforce Planning Process for Social Services—In 1988, in an effort to recommend actions regarding the recruitment and retention of workers, WRI conducted a study involving interviews with all levels of management in the New York State Department of Social Services, several districts, the New York City Human Resources Administration, and several voluntary agencies as well as an examination of relevant literature and present DSS activities.
Evaluation of Comprehensive Employment Opportunity Support Centers (CEOSC)—The CEOSC program, administered by the New York State Department of Social Services, provided employment support services to public assistance recipients with children under six years old. In 1988, WRI evaluated this program. The evaluation included assessment of program planning and structure, staffing and recruitment, and services provided to participants.
Evaluation of Employment Services Programs for Refugees—In 1989, under contract to the New York State Department of Social Services, WRI evaluated three employment-related program models targeted to refugees: Employment Support Programs (ESP), providing services to promote refugee employment, particularly to individuals on public assistance; Youth Employment Services (YES), targeted to refugees between the ages of 16 and 21; and Refugee Women Share in Self-Sufficiency (SHARE), targeted to women’s employment needs, including cultural barriers to employment.
Evaluation of Public Service Employment in the Home Care Field—The State Communities Aid Association (SCAA) conducted a project in 1979 to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of using CETA trainees as home health care workers. WRI evaluated the effects of the project on the CETA trainees and on the provider agencies and examined the program’s potential for achieving economies in the delivery of health care services. Objectives included the design and implementation of strategies to assess the effect of the SCAA/CETA home health care services and an evaluation of the effect on CETA employees of the training, work experience, and placement activities provided by the project. Also examined was the project’s potential for achieving economies in welfare and other costs at the federal, state, and local levels.
Evaluation of the Older Refugee Demonstration Project—In 1986, WRI evaluated a special employment project for recent immigrants whose age posed a barrier to employment. To address high unemployment rates and dependence on public assistance, the New York State Department of Social Services funded several agencies in New York City to provide special services to older refugees. WRI served as project monitor and evaluator of these service programs.
Evaluation of the School Construction Authority’s Summer Internship Program—The SCA Summer Internship Program provides New York City high school students (juniors and seniors) the opportunity to work in construction industry jobs over a six-week period; the program consists, each week, of four days of on-site work experience and one school-based education day. WRI’s evaluation of the program included an analysis of available descriptive materials; data collection and analyses from two student interview questionnaires completed by student interns; questionnaire data from the student counselors who directly interact with the students; and interviews with key individuals participating in the oversight of the program, including some employers. WRI evaluated the 1992, 1993, and 1994 programs.
Evaluation of the Use of FEMA Monies by Voluntary Agencies—Through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), funds were made available for food and shelter programs to be designed and carried out by local voluntary organizations. To determine the effectiveness of these programs in New York City, the Greater New York Fund/United Way contracted with WRI to conduct an evaluation. WRI’s 1985 study examined the range of approaches and services chosen by the organization, the types of clients served, and the impact of assistance on the hungry and homeless.
Evaluation Research for Corrections Training Program—WRI evaluated a pilot training program to improve interpersonal relations among corrections employees, between corrections officers and inmates, and between labor and management. This skill-based program was established by the New York State Department of Correctional Services in 1981. The evaluation methodology included the design and administration of questionnaires to trainers and trainees, with data processing and analysis, site visits, and interviews.
Food Emergency Services in New York City—In 1987, the New York Community Trust contracted with WRI to (1) study the characteristics of food pantries and soup kitchens in the city, and (2) make recommendations as to how food can be equitably distributed to the hungry, and how responsibility for emergency food distribution should be apportioned among the governmental units involved.
Innovative Use of Health Care Staff in Long-Term Care Institutions—In 1985, WRI examined issues related to staffing in mental health facilities of particular concern to the New York State Office of Mental Health, such as (1) freeing nurses from administrative and supervisory duties and restoring the clinical core of their roles, and (2) training and reassigning selected therapy aides/assistants to take on some of those administrative and supervisory duties. Our research also considered the impact of staffing innovations on professional staff utilization, costs, and patient care.
Labor-Management Relations Training Institute— To address the need in the 1980’s for ongoing training in labor-management relations, WRI provided a flexible resource in labor-management relations training to the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations (GOER) and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA). Using our own professional staff and outside consultants, we provided a broad range of training to CSEA workers and officials, GOER staff, unit supervisors for state agencies and facilities, and the members of local labor-management committees. This training ranged from one-day workshops on technical topics, such as arbitration procedures, to more extended training in broader areas, such as handling employee grievances.
Long-Term Dependency: Research on Chronically Dependent Public Assistance Recipients—In the interest of helping welfare-dependent people to become independent of public assistance, the New York State Department of Social Services contracted with WRI to examine the factors that lead to long-term dependency. The first phase of this 1984 study was a review of the programs and strategies developed by other states and the federal government to encourage self-sufficiency. The second phase involved an analysis of public assistance case records, sampled from both New York City and upstate districts, and an examination of data from the state’s automated information systems.
Material on the Office of the Future Program—In 1992, WRI wrote three reports on the Office of the Future program of New York City’s Private Industry Council. This skills training program for clerical workers assists the disadvantaged while fostering economic development. WRI wrote an executive summary, an evaluation report, and a replication report for others who wish to develop a similar model.
Minimum Income Level (MIL) Maintenance Program in New York City—Building on the work of the Decision Logic Tables for the AABD Program project, in 1978 WRI established an operational unit—the Minimum Income Level Maintenance Unit—in the New York City Department of Social Services, to re-budget and evaluate the special needs eligibility of the 28,000 AABD cases that had been converted to SSI in 1973. This effort involved developing administrative procedures that would ensure the accurate and efficient review of cases, recruiting and training staff in the use of the AABD Decision Manual and providing case review results to the State Department of Social Services in a format designed for keypunching and transmittal to the Social Security Administration.
Monroe County Food Stamp Marketing Study—In 1988, using data available from the New York State Income Maintenance Hotline, as well as interviews with small groups of nonparticipants and a review of eligibility and processing procedures, WRI conducted a study on the use of food stamps. The purpose was to identify the reasons for underutilization of food stamps by eligible populations in Monroe County and to recommend changes that could be made to increase participation.
New Options in Employment and Training—In 1988, WRI assisted a minority task force established by the New York State Senate to study a broad range of issues related to poverty. WRI identified and documented employment and training programs that are relevant to public assistance recipients, as well as support services such as day care. Project staff also examined issues identified by the task force, such as the economic threshold necessary to achieve self-sufficiency and associated services and outcomes.
New York State Decision Logic Table Demonstration Project—In the late 1970’s, to improve the administration of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, WRI developed a cross-indexed set of decision logic tables to aid in the eligibility and grant determination processes for public assistance. Subsequently, WRI developed training materials and a training program based on the DLTs for income maintenance staff in the New York City, Albany County, and Rockland County departments of social services. The tables, the training materials, and the program can be used either manually or as a computer system and are adaptable for both statewide and nationwide replication.
Nutrition Education Multimedia Campaign—As the statewide contractor for the New York State Nutrition Education Campaign for six years in the 1980’s, WRI coordinated a multimedia effort (radio, television, newspapers, transit posters, and educational materials) to promote sound nutrition among low-income households and to increase awareness of federally funded nutrition programs—Food Stamps, WIC, the Child Nutrition Program (school lunch and breakfast), and Senior Citizens Meals. Materials were available in English and Spanish as well as additional languages including Chinese, Afghan and Russian. WRI also reviewed and documented education and outreach activities intended to reach nonparticipating individuals at the county level.
On-Site Day Care: Research, Model Development, and Evaluation—To improve the working environment for state employees, New York State’s Joint Labor-Management Committee on the Work Environment and Productivity contracted with WRI to examine the experiences of employer-sponsored on-site day care centers in the United States and abroad. In 1980, WRI conducted a thorough study of such centers, developed and compared four models of employer-sponsored day care, and developed a feasibility study/guidelines for employers interested in establishing on-site day care centers. WRI then developed an evaluation model, in cooperation with the Children’s Place at the Plaza, a model day care center established for state employees in Albany, to measure achievement and cost-effectiveness of program objectives.
Program Analysis for the Consortium for Worker Education—In 1998, WRI completed its analysis of the first year of activity of the Satellite Day Care Program, created by the NYS Legislature to support New York City’s welfare reform initiatives. The Consortium for Worker Education (CWE) received funding to implement the model, which was designed to expand employment and career opportunities for low-income people and increase high quality child care in areas of the city where it was most needed. CWE, with the help of the New York City Human Resources Administration, developed the program in collaboration with many partners, including state and city public agencies and nonprofit voluntary agencies.
Promotional Materials for Project Reach—To address the problem of adult illiteracy, the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations and the Civil Service Employees Association implemented a remedial program for New York State employees. In 1987, WRI developed a videotape presentation to encourage participation in the program, which is called Project Reach. To help overcome potential participant reluctance to get involved, the presentation is narrated by individuals who have gone through the program themselves.
Public Employment Research Institute—On behalf of New York State’s Joint Labor- Management Committee on the Work Environment and Productivity (CWEP) in the early 1980’s, WRI conducted research and provided support services in a number of areas related to public employment, such as occupational safety, job sharing, performance evaluation, and factors in worker satisfaction. A major project activity was the development of a model employee orientation program, produced in cooperation with the State Office of Public Health. Based on its success in pilot tests, the program was adapted for use in other state agencies. Additional Institute activities included evaluations of new labor-management grievance procedures and of a high school equivalency program for public employees. WRI also researched the training and career development needs of institutional employees, evaluated employee assistance programs, and studied the state’s efforts to find new employment for public workers affected by layoffs and work-force reductions.
Recruitment, Retention, and Training of Health Care Workers—In 1992, WRI analyzed fiscal and organizational issues surrounding the role of Nurse Referrals, Inc. in relation to the Health and Hospitals Corporation and the Licensed Home Health Agency. The resulting report described recent developments regarding the nurse workforce in New York City and made recommendations from a fiscal and non-fiscal point of view.
Research in Work-Force Enhancement for OMRDD—In 1980, WRI contracted with the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities to provide “modular” research and technical assistance, with an emphasis on work-force planning, the quality of working life, and the quality of care provided within OMRDD facilities. The primary focus of WRI’s assistance was on employment issues, especially the needs and problems of single mothers, minority ethnic group members, and other underrepresented groups in the OMRDD work force. The project was aimed at the development of improved approaches and materials for the recruitment and retention of qualified staff.
Research Institute for the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations/Council 82—On behalf of New York State’s Joint Labor-Management Committee on the Quality of Working Life and Productivity, WRI conducted research and provided support services in several areas related to the work environment of New York State Security personnel, who are represented by Council 82, AFSCME, AFL-CIO. The 1982 project activities included a compilation of demographic and other statistical data on Council 82 workers, a survey of public perceptions of the corrections system in New York State, and literature reviews on various quality of working life issues.
Residential Mental Health Care Training for OMH Direct Care Workers—To help mental health workers understand the demands—and rewards—of employment in community residential care programs, in 1986 WRI produced a 30-minute video program based largely on firsthand accounts by staff who had transferred from large mental hospitals to community facilities. The New York State Office of Mental Health has made this program a cornerstone of its training for direct care workers who are considering the transition to state-run community programs.
Statewide Implementation of the New York State Model Employee Orientation—Based on its development and successful implementation of a model orientation program for new employees of the New York State Office of Public Health, in 1988 WRI received a contract to modify and transfer this program for use in 24 additional state agencies over a three-year period. This effort involved selecting the agencies for transfer, assessing each agency’s orientation needs, assessing employee orientation needs, updating the generic orientation modules, developing agency-specific modules, and developing guidelines for the state to follow in maintaining and revising the program as needed.
Study of Thirty-Dollar and One-Third Income Disregard Cases—The objective of this project was to gather data about recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), their income from employment, income from grants, work-related expenses, ages of clients and children, use of child care, and grant reductions due to clients employment. In 1980, WRI contracted with the New York State Temporary State Commission to Revise the Social Services Law to provide technical assistance in collecting and analyzing data for the study.
Supportive Services Model for Achieving Self-Sufficiency—In 1982, WRI, in cooperation with St. Augustine’s Center, in Buffalo, New York, developed a family-focused needs assessment and service model in a single location to provide job training, placement, child care, and other supportive services for single parents. The goal was to support family integrity and self-sufficiency and improve the functioning of the WIN and CETA programs for participants.
Unemployed Day Care Recipients—The objective of this 1977 research was to provide information about unemployed family heads who were users of day care services. Data were gathered in New York City and included baseline information collected on 683 clients, all members of the targeted population within 28 selected day care centers. An in-depth analysis was conducted on 170 day care users. The analysis of employment data, training data, family characteristics, and family and child data was focused mainly on information about employment efforts and training programs.
