Employment and Training Worker II

County of Mendocino; Willits (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Mendocino invites applications for a Willits-based case management role supporting CalWORKs Job Services participants. The position helps clients overcome barriers to self-sufficiency through motivational interviewing, coaching, and referrals to housing, education, health, and other resources.

Under supervision, the worker provides employability services, conducts intake, assesses barriers, refers to services, maintains client records, and reports outcomes using an automated system.

Qualifications

• One (1) year of full-time experience as an Employment & Training Worker I; or two (2) years of full-time experience performing vocational guidance, employment counseling or placement services; and completion of 15 semester or 22 quarter college units in career planning, vocational guidance principles, personality development, occupational testing & measurement or counseling preparation; or Associates degree or equivalent units in a related field; and one (1) year of full-time experience performing vocational guidance, employment counseling or placement services.

Responsibilities

• Utilizes Motivational Interviewing techniques to interview and evaluate participants' employability.
• Administers and interprets vocational measurement tests.
• Evaluates clients' employment and education history; identifies skills, barriers; develops goals and plans to improve skills and progress; provides counseling and labor market information; refers to training opportunities.

Job description

The list developed from this recruitment will be used for a limited period to fill open and promotional, regular full-time, and part-time positions throughout the County, should they occur. Pursuant to current bargaining unit agreements, employees regularly assigned to the coastal region or in Covelo are eligible to receive a 5% assignment premium .

The current vacancy is in Willits, and provides case management to CalWORKs Job Services participants, helping them overcome barriers to self-sufficiency through interactive interviewing, motivational coaching, and connections to housing, education, health, and other supportive resources.

Under general supervision, provides employability services to eligible applicants of local social service agencies; applies program regulations and procedures; assesses employment potential and barriers that interfere with securing employment; identifies needs for social and health services and makes referrals; collaborates with partner agencies and employers; uses an automated system to maintain and monitor participants' records and generate reports; may determine the eligibility of applicants and recipients for public assistance programs through interactive interviewing and fact gathering; and performs related work as required.

Bilingual English/Spanish encouraged to apply. Se buscan personas bilingües en inglés y español. Para recibir una solicitud en español, llame a Recursos Humanos al 234-6600.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Utilizing Motivational Interviewing techniques, interviews and evaluates eligible program participants' employability to assist participants in achieving self-sufficient employment.
• Administers and interprets vocational measurement tests.
• Assesses clients' employment and education history; identifies employment related skills, abilities and barriers; develops goals and plans to improve skills and abilities and overcome barriers; provides career guidance and employment and training counseling; provides labor market information related to local employment possibilities; and as appropriate, refers clients to employment related educational and training opportunities.
• Refers clients to other staff members or to community resources for direct and intensive services and specialized counseling as necessary; advocates on client's behalf for most appropriate services including enabling services.
• Assists applicants and recipients in utilizing available resources.
• Makes home visits in connection with casework assignments.
• Provides community outreach for various agency programs.
• Conducts orientation workshops and one-on-one training for new and returning program participants.
• Reads, comprehends and applies complex regulations, rules, policies and procedures including the federal Work Participation Rate.
• Participates in development and implementation of program strategies to increase the federal Work Participation Rate.
• Explains relevant program regulations, rules, and policies to clients and the general public.
• Presents information on available programs to community organizations, the general public, and employers during job fairs, community partner presentations, and one-on-one.
• Conducts ongoing research to identify labor market information and employment and training opportunities for program participants; and establishes and maintains contacts with regional employers and training providers.
• Completes and processes disbursement of funds, documents for clients' authorized supportive services, i.e., childcare and transportation.
• Places clients into appropriate paid and/or non-paid work training assignments and monitors performance and progress.
• Completes and processes documents, correspondence, and reports for authorized supportive services, manually or using an automated system.
• Operates a personal computer, including software programs and an automated system, to enter and retrieve data, manage individual client cases and overall caseload, compile statistical reports, and perform other assigned duties.
• Maintains regular contact with clients to monitor each client's completion of tasks and progress toward attaining goals that will lead to securing employment, and compliance with program requirements.
• Documents evidence of individual clients' compliance or non-compliance with program rules and regulations, and follows procedures related to the imposition of sanctions.
• Performs a variety of clerical duties related to organizing, prioritizing and scheduling assignments; meeting deadlines; completing forms, reports and other documents; maintaining automated and manual files and logs; managing client cases; and fulfilling other responsibilities as required.
• Establishes and maintains cooperative, effective working relationships with program participants; department employees; regional employers, educational facilities, trainers and all others who are program stakeholders and supporters.
• May assess family situation to determine if Family Stabilization services are appropriate.
• May develop Family Stabilization service plan with family and service providers.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Positions also responsible for determining the eligibility for public assistance programs perform the following additional duties

• Analyzes financial information and eligibility information to determine initial or continuing eligibility for multiple aid programs.
• Enters and retrieves numerical and narrative data and issues benefits from an automated computer system.
• Assists clients in accessing community services.
• Organizes caseload so that necessary case records and documents are processed and updated within specific time limits established by regulation and local policy.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

Education and Experience:

One (1) year of full-time experience as an Employment & Training Worker I; or

Two (2) years of full-time experience performing vocational guidance, employment counseling or placement services; and completion of 15 semester or 22 quarter college units in career planning, vocational guidance principles, personality development, occupational testing & measurement or counseling preparation; or

Associates degree or equivalent units in a related field; and one (1) year of full-time experience performing vocational guidance, employment counseling or placement services.

Licenses and Certifications:

A valid driver’s license is required at the time of appointment. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to a disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Incumbents must possess and maintain, or obtain and maintain, all licenses, certifications, registrations, and/or other requirements identified in the minimum qualifications, as applicable, and within the timeframes specified. These requirements are conditions of continued employment and minimum qualifications for the position. Failure to possess, obtain, or maintain any required license, certification, registration, or other requirement within the specified timeframe may result in rejection during the probationary period, or disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Knowledge of:

• General goals and purpose of employment preparation and training programs, and public social services programs.
• Effective and appropriate career, vocational, and employment counseling techniques.
• Occupational fields and regional labor market trends for private and public sector employers.
• Services provided within the department or agency that program participants may require and the procedure for referring participants for those services.
• Local and regional socio-economic conditions.
• Characteristics, customs and unique needs of local ethnic/cultural populations.
• Basic principles of individual and family behaviors that impact and/or contribute to family stability and self-sufficiency.
• Basic principles involved in the growth and development of personality and in-group processes.
• Department and community resources available to program participants.
• Computer terminology and computer keyboard arrangement.

Ability to:

• Apply techniques and methods for conducting successful employment-related interviews, record keeping and standard office procedures.
• Elicit factual information from prospective and current program participants who may exhibit behavior indicative of those experiencing deprivation and/or emotional difficulties.
• Interpret financial information and make basic arithmetical computations.
• Accurately gather, record and evaluate data necessary for the implementation of appropriate employment preparation and training programs.
• Prepare reports, forms, plans and agreements required by program rules, regulations, policies and procedure.
• Establish effective engagement with clients; use fact-finding techniques and perform in-depth and interactive interviewing.
• Listen to clients and develop professional rapport in order to determine the underlying barriers to employment.
• Obtain facts and recognize the relevance and significance; analyze situations and adopt effective courses of action.
• Plan and organize caseload to ensure that deadlines and regulations regarding time limits are met.
• Read, understand, apply and explain complicated and detailed correspondence and reports, regulations and policy directives.
• Determine appropriate course of action in emergency situations.
• Enter information accurately into a computerized system, and navigate effectively through automated multi-screen client record system.
• Identify client problems that require referral to other social or community resources.
• Speak and write in a clear and concise manner, using correct English.
• Read, comprehend, apply, and follow complex rules, regulations, policies, procedures and other written instructions, including the policies, procedures, and programs of the Social Services Department.
• Prepare standard reports, forms, plans and agreements required by program rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Use tact and diplomacy when communicating with all persons, including those with different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
• Identify and assess program participants' employment barriers and develop individual participant plans for securing employment.
• Monitor individual participants' compliance with program regulations and when appropriate, implement required sanctions.
• Regularly evaluate individual participants' progress toward meeting established goals for securing employment; use appropriate methods to motivate and encourage participants and when necessary, to counsel participants who have not met goals or expectations.
• Coach individual participants in how to prepare for a job interview and meet future employers' job performance expectations.
• Present training workshops to groups of program participants.
• Establish, maintain, and manage complex records.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with co-workers, supervisory and managerial staff; area employers who are willing to employ program participants; community based services providers of child care, transportation and other services where program participants are required to attain employment goals; and all others with whom contact is made during the normal course of business.
• Operate office equipment such as a personal computer, (including automated systems, databases, word processing, spreadsheets, and electronic communications programs), calculator and photocopier.

Mental and Physical Abilities:.

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
• While performing the essential functions of this