Senior Community Service Employment Program

A demand–driven SCSEP is made up of the public and private sector policies and programs that help people acquire the knowledge and skills needed to earn a living. This model includes policies and programs that help employers get and maintain a skilled workforce. Unlike separate programs operating in an uncoordinated and static manner, Colorado’s SCSEP demand–driven workforce is flexible and able to adapt quickly to changing economic conditions. The demand–driven model is characterized by on­going communication and continual feedback among employers, workers, educators, and governmental agencies.

Labor Market Information’s LMI Gateway is an online resource intended to meet informational needs of both the employer and employee community. The (http://www.colmigateway.com/) contains an extensive amount of readily accessible labor market data as well as provides job search capabilities for SCSEP participants. The following is a list of additional key components that support SCSEP:

1. Strategies and incentives that support sustained public and private sector investment in skills development.
2. Strategic linkages among employers, union, educators, governmental, non–governmental organizations, and individual citizens in the labor market to promote system responsiveness to economic needs, and results–based accountability.
3. Labor market information, job placement, employment retention and work support services that increase access to employment and meet the needs of workers and employers, the system’s dual customers.
4. Target marketing to new businesses and high–growth industries using direct mail and follow–up telephone calls to introduce customers to available program and services; maintain active membership and participation in local business organizations such as local Chambers of Commerce, economic development groups, and human resource manager groups; conduct business forums at the local level to market local employment and training services and brief attendees on labor market information; and conduct job fairs and on–site recruitment to assist small business high–growth industries, and targeted populations.

The State supports business services efforts through marketing grants and discretionary grants focused on services benefiting employers and delivered through partnerships with the business community.

A major goal of SCSEP is to ensure opportunities for placement for the maximum number of eligible individuals. Therefore, each project sponsor uses every reasonable means to place SCSEP enrollees into unsubsidized employment. The goal established by the U.S. Department of Labor is to place 33 percent of all authorized positions into unsubsidized employment during the program year.

Some SCSEP projects have higher goals. Unsubsidized employment is officially defined as:

“Employment in the public or private sector where the former SCSEP participant is not a participant in a federally funded employment and training program. Placements in programs operated by VISTA (now Americorps) shall not be counted as unsubsidized unless they are in non–volunteer positions.”

Each project sponsor is encouraged to contact private and public employers directly in an effort to identify and develop suitable unsubsidized employment opportunities for enrollees. Sponsors should also encourage host agencies to employ enrollees. All enrollees must understand their obligation to demonstrate initiative in seeking unsubsidized employment whenever possible. As part of the effort to find unsubsidized placement, enrollees should be strongly encouraged to register as a job seeker with the appropriate local Workforce Center, as well as public sector employers.

Every reasonable means are employed by the sponsor staff to assist enrollees with job search activities including the following strategies:

1. Seek assistance at One–Stop Centers;

2. Seek assistance from local, state and federal employment agencies;

3. Seek assistance from other local agencies;

4. Prevail upon host agencies to accept qualified enrollees into their regular work force;

5. Maintain a liaison with other SCSEP sponsors and state agencies to identify job openings or training opportunities;

6. Identify and seek the assistance of for–profit and non–profit organizations concerned with employment and services for seniors; and

7. Consistently remind enrollees of their responsibility to seek and accept unsubsidized employment.

Some techniques that SCSEP project staff have found useful for increasing unsubsidized employment are:

1. Using motivational techniques with enrollees;

2. Using public relations effectively;

3. Organizing and operating a job club;

4. Training and using a job developer;

5. Training enrollees in job search techniques;

6. Providing training to increase enrollee’s skills.

7. Rotating enrollees;

8. Keeping job search records; and

9. Asking host agencies to hire enrollees and move enrollees to another site if they are not considered for job opening.