Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities

There are several types of work-based training in Vermont, including on-the-job trainings (OJT), transitional jobs, registered apprenticeships, and customized trainings. Incumbent worker trainings are generally supported by the Department of Economic Development (DED) with state funds.

Jobseekers have access to basic career services and individualized career services through the state’s One-Stop American Job Center (AJC) network. Vermont has one comprehensive AJC and eleven One-Stop Career Centers where WIOA One-Stop programs can be accessed. Case managers and labor exchange job specialists work with employers and participants to identify work opportunities, including work-based trainings that may be accompanied by other types of individualized employment supports.

Services for Title I adults and dislocated workers are easily coordinated in Vermont. Having a single agency to administer and deliver services for eligible participants provides a consistent approach to the needs of adults and dislocated workers throughout the state. Local One-Stop Career Center staff work with individuals to identify employment challenges and obstacles to long-term employment and progression along a career ladder. Support services are coordinated with other One-Stop and community partners as appropriate to the benefit of the individual. Local staff work with the individual to ensure decisions are made based on the best available labor market information and an individual assessment process. An individualized employment plan is developed as a guide to assist the participant in meeting their short and long-term career goals.                                                                                        

Vermont recognizes the importance that an industry recognized credential plays in entering and progressing through a career. In counseling jobseekers, case workers may recommend a classroom based occupational skills training before entering a work-based training experience. A key advantage of work-based training is that it includes and incorporates skill competencies that the employer has identified for the specific job. The trainee learns the skills needed in addition to learning how to apply the skills in the way the employer prefers. This makes the participant completing the training well-positioned to immediately add value in the workplace, with marketable skills that lay the foundation for upward mobility in their career ladder.

Combining work-based career exploration, internships, paid work experiences, transitional jobs, customized trainings, registered apprenticeships, and OJTs create a continuum of work-based experiences that allow participants to “learn and earn.” The VDOL has seen great successes using OJTs because they tend to be short-term, offer a direct connection to employment, and have high rates of placement and retention. With hands-on training that the employer designs, the employer is situated as a key player in monitoring the progress of the training and understands that they are making an investment in their business and future workforce by participating in the program.  

The OJT program continues to be a key method of delivering hands-on training and has proven to be beneficial to both jobseekers and employers in both the private and public sectors. The program affords employers an opportunity to train jobseekers at a wage reimbursement rate of up to 50% for a determined amount of contract hours. OJT is designed to provide knowledge or skills essential to the satisfactory performance of the job. OJTs can be a pipeline to the registered apprenticeship program that more formally combines the on-the-job experience supplemented with technical related instruction. Qualified workers guide apprentices to develop their trade or skill and learn the techniques with specific materials, and equipment associated with that occupation.

Transitional jobs are work-based training experiences that are time limited and are usually subsidized through the VDOL Title I programs. They are intended for individuals with barriers to employment identified as chronically unemployed or have an inconsistent work history. Using this model, a participant can establish a work history to demonstrate their success in the workplace, develop occupational skills, and establish work references that support their entry into and retention in unsubsidized employment. Transitional jobs often benefit ex-offenders re-entering the labor force and individuals lacking a concrete history of long-term employment. This could include but is not limited to: homeless individuals, long term recipients of public assistance, and individuals with disabilities. 

Customized trainings are developed to meet the needs of employer and participant. There is no single model that fits every training situation so each case is managed individually. Case managers work with the employer to develop a training contract describing how the needs of the employer and employee(s) are met. The contract document is intended to be comprehensive to ensure that the employee receives high-quality training, and, upon completion, the employer has an employee who has mastered specific skills and proficiencies. Success in customized training arrangements depends on frequent communication between caseworker, employer and participant. There are also regular on-site visits to ensure the agreements are being performed as intended, modifications can be made when necessary.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, in partnership with the VDOL, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and Community College of Vermont (CCV), is an example of a successful partnership incorporating a customized work-based training. The consortium created a support services training program to assist community job seekers who had been unemployed or underemployed, transition back to meaningful work. The program focused on both the housekeeping needs of the hospital and trainings regarding components of infection control and OSHA requirements. Participants were enrolled into CCV’s Governors Career Readiness Certification program where they demonstrated and developed the necessary skills to be successful in the workplace.

Additionally, the participants worked with the VDOL case managers and labor exchange staff to access career counseling, resume building, and develop better communication and computer skills. Each participant completed a work experience at the hospital in an occupation they were hoping to become employed in. This model allows the participant to further explore a career of interest to them, essentially risk free. The employer and participant can then determine if the career is a good fit. . By the end of the program, participants who successfully completed all phases of the program were enthusiastically offered employment opportunities within the hospital. Some participants chose to continue their education with CCV in pursuit of other available career pathways within the hospital that may be a better fit.