Gearing class schedules towards incumbent worker skill training

Early in the McKnight Families Forward project Minnesota dipped into a recession, and many individuals began seeking a degree or certification. The West Central Initiative project discovered it was nearly impossible for people to remain connected to the workforce while participating in this form of training because of the traditional academic schedule. Classes are offered during weekday hours when many low income, incumbent workers are working. The schedule is targeted towards students coming directly from high school into the post-secondary world and is oftentimes driven by faculty contracts that make it difficult to require teachers to teach at non-traditional hours.

This schedule limited the ability of many low income workers in the West Central Initiative Project to maintain their current position in the labor force and oftentimes required them to quit their higher paying position for a lower paying, more flexible position at another place of employment. West Central Initiative said that every client who was firmly committed to seeking a degree or certificate quit their primary employment, but they maintained a connection to the workforce to maintain their welfare benefits. Therefore, the West Central Initiative had to drop those participants from the Families Forward project because they no longer fit the project definition of incumbent workers. The goal of the program was to keep people employed, yet this was not possible with the class schedules offered

 

Targeting student financial aid for incumbent workers

For low wage workers, financial aid for training is extremely critical. This population does not have the means for self-sufficiency let alone paying thousands of dollars to enhance their skills. According to experiences the West Central Initiative has had through its Families Forward Project, Minnesota's system for allocating financial aid to students works against low wage worker skill training. Oftentimes low wage workers enter educational programs part-time because they are balancing work, school, and family. However, those workers who tried to enter programs part-time did not qualify for Minnesota's student financial aid because the state's financial aid system is targeted to people who are attending school full-time. In addition, Minnesota's policies are moving more towards financial aid for full-time students and farther away from financial aid for part-time students.

 

Providing the right kind of support services

Single-headed households have traditionally been ranked among the poorest of low-income populations. For example, Hennepin County census data for 1989 and 1999 showed that female-headed households with children where no husband was present were the poorest compared to all other families. Low income, single working families often need, but do not receive, subsidized childcare, food stamps, medical assistance, subsidized housing, and cash assistance from government programs. Isolation, lack of family and community supports, full time work and parenting responsibilities combine to make it extremely difficult for single working parents to successfully complete traditionally structured skill training and career advancement programs.

Women Achieving New Directions found that traditionally structured short-term training programs do not provide for the specific needs of single, working parents. Most training programs continue to follow a daytime or extensive evening hour model. Single parents who work full time need a different kind of flexible training model that addresses their unique needs. Specifically, they need childcare, a light meal for their children and themselves after work, and a maximum of two nights per week and/or alternating weekends of training. This is the model that best fits their household/work realities. To meet individual needs, they are using McKnight Foundation dollars to fill some of these gaps and constantly looking for opportunities to partner with community and government agencies who understand the needs of their participants and who are open to an alternative approach when providing training to this population.

Ensuring individuals receive quality training

The HIRED Families Forward project has experienced that many short-term training programs are being organized to assist workers in updating their skills. Oftentimes these programs offer participants the flexibility they desire because the class sizes are smaller, hours are more flexible, and there is more one-on-one individual development than at a local public or private post-secondary educational institution. The programs are also more flexible to people's situations and to family life in general.

For low wage, working parents, these training programs can sound like the ideal solution for meeting their skill development needs and many decide to pursue their training through these programs because of the flexibility. However, HIRED has experienced two negative aspects regarding these types of programs. First, too much flexibility can be negative because individuals do not receive all of the training they would get at a public or private post-secondary training institution. Second, these programs may not be certified or hands-on enough to meet the needs of employers. These two negative aspects are making it more difficult for low wage workers to find employment when they have training through these short-term training programs. Individuals do not know these programs are stigmatized and sign up for the programs sometimes before they even reach a service provider such as HIRED. Then service providers must support the program participant's decision to pursue training even if the program is not reputable because the decision to pursue training is a success in and of itself.

 

Structuring programs to meet individual and business needs

The HIRED Families Forward project works with young adults many of whom are on MFIP. Because the main focus of the Families Forward projects, in general, is to move low income working parents through training and up career ladders, the changes to MFIP over the past couple of years have greatly impacted the ability of this population to successfully move through skills training. The changes to MFIP are making it more difficult for clients to make the decision to pursue training overall. Also, customers are worried about how the training will affect their MFIP benefits.

Currently MFIP allows 12 to 24 months to complete a training program and requires participants to work at least 20 hours per week. Because there is a restriction on the number of hours a person must work, it takes longer for people to complete their training. This restriction coupled with the limit on the number of training hours is having a negative impact on the ability of low income working parents to become self-sufficient. HIRED said that many parents who work 20 hours per week have a difficult time juggling full-time school, work, and family. They make judgments to decide which is most important, and oftentimes training is not at the top of their lists. According to the wages listed on the Jobs Now Coalition's website, most people need full-time training for 12 to 24 months to become fully self-sufficient in the metro area. However, the restrictions on MFIP are making this extremely difficult for working parents. In the long run, these changes to MFIP will have a negative impact on the economic vitality of the state because fewer people will have the training they need to be self-sufficient.

Because changes to MFIP, or any welfare program for that matter, are very controversial, the GWDC gathered some additional information on this topic and has decided to complete a review of specific program, policy, or funding changes that could advance skills development opportunities for Minnesotans transitioning from welfare to work