Senior Community Service Employment Program

(2) The state’s long-term strategy for engaging employers to develop and promote opportunities for the placement of SCSEP participants in unsubsidized employment. (20 CFR 641.302(e)) (May alternatively be discussed in the state strategies section of strategic plan.)

Long-term Strategies for Unsubsidized Employer Engagement for SCSEP in Maryland

MD Labor will make SCSEP participants a part of their pipeline of talent identified by business services staff. Business services staff will be trained to understand the program and participants as potential candidates for openings.

MD SCSEP will also continue to cultivate and grow relationships with host agency partners who have demonstrated their commitment to employing older workers by hiring SCSEP participants.  Proper exit and follow-up procedures are critical to this area of employer engagement and will be measured as a job performance standard of MD SCSEP staff.  The program aims to develop an internal network of training and job referral completely comprised of proven hiring and training partners. These partners will assist MD SCSEP in advocating for older workers as viable human capital for Maryland businesses and agencies, and the program will rely on them to increase host agency, training partner, and employer recruitment and retention.

Senior Service America, Inc. (SSAI) Long-Term Strategy for Engaging Employers

Senior Service America’s, Inc. (SSAI’s) sub grantees have well-established partnerships with local Chambers of Commerce. Sub grantees often attend meetings in order to network with local business representatives.  Through training provided by SSAI, sub grantees regularly get on a Chamber’s agenda to engage employers by promoting both SCSEP and job ready participants.

To promote employer outreach, in attention to the AJCs, SSAI Program Officers also work with sub grantees to identify other employer organizations in order to increase the visibility of SCSEP. For example, SSAI promotes subgrantee engagement with local chapters of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), a professional association of human resources professionals from various employers. These professionals are usually involved with hiring and tend to be focused on ensuring a diverse workforce, including mature workers. In addition, many of these SHRM chapters have a committee of volunteers willing to give their time to nonprofits. They can be a great resource for educating participants about what their companies look for in a new employee, helping prepare for interviews, and writing résumés that will get read.

Other SSAI employer outreach training focuses on showing sub grantees how to approach the hidden job market by establishing relationships with their local, county, and state economic development councils and accessing their press releases of future or growing business announcements. SSAI staff trains sub grantees to approach these employers with the goal of establishing relationships as business partners. Job Development training of sub grantees will remain multi-focused.  One area of focus will be to continue to promote the identification and targeting of local employers by using the internet, especially in rural areas. Another focus will be on the basics of how to conduct employer outreach. The training to be provided includes group activities, role playing, and videos about job development.  Another area of focus will be to provide technical assistance geared towards developing advanced networking skills of both sub grantees and SCSEP participants. 

Furthermore, as MD SCSEP increases employer engagement, SSAI will also increase exploration of on-the-job-experience (OJE) as a method of expanding employer engagement. While OJE has not been widely utilized by the sub grantees in the past, the Program Officers will actively promote OJE as a tool for sub grantees to use in future PYs to gain more unsubsidized jobs for participant job seekers.

Source:  Senior Service America, Inc.

SSAI’s Strategies for Preparing Participants for Unsubsidized Jobs

SSAI’s Program Officers will further expand sub grantees capabilities to use a multi-pronged approach to prepare participants for unsubsidized jobs. SSAI Program Officers develop turnkey tools that a subgrantee may use when meeting with participants. For example, a presentation has been developed on how to navigate a job fair that a subgrantee can deliver at a participant meeting. Additionally, Program Officers provide sample agendas and activities as well as facilitate job club meetings at subgrantee locations. Program Officers are often asked to present at participant meetings. Topics may vary and can include interviewing techniques, résumé writing tips, approaching the hidden job market, using social media in a job search, and completing online job applications. 

Source:  Senior Service America, Inc.