Presentation Outline - Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University

National Veterans Technical Assistance Center
Presentation Outline – May 04, 2011 Teleconference
Improving Employment Outcomes by Leveraging Resources
Slide 1 (Title Slide):
Improving the employment outcomes for Homeless Veteran participants by leveraging WIA,
one stop, VA, and other community resources (April 13, 2010)
Lisa Stern, Independent Consultant
Slide 2: About the presenter
Previous roles:
Director of Operations, Maryland One Stop Career Center
o Local VWIP Project Manager
o “Honorary Veteran”
o Job Development/Job Placement Specialist
Current roles:
Communications Consultant
o America’s Heroes at Work (www.AmericasHeroesAtWork.gov)
o National Resource Directory (www.NRD.gov)
Universal Design for the Public Workforce System
Writer ‐ Soft Skills and Career Development Curricula
Slide 3: Teleseminar Objectives
Community Resource Mapping – the basics
Strategic Resource Development
o “job readiness”
o networking
o placement
Resources, resources and more resources
o One Stop
o VA/VR&E
o Community
o Social Networking
Q&A
Slide 4: Community Resource Mapping – The Basics
A strategy to connect & coordinate community services
o Not a new concept – but an important one
o Sometimes referred to as asset mapping or environmental scanning
o Builds systems, aligns resources, focuses on outcomes
Consider: Who do you know…who do you NEED to know?

Slide 5: Community Resource Mapping Strategy – in a Nutshell
Focus on assets
o What do you have to offer?
Build relationships and partnerships
o Does your community know you exist?
Work across boundaries
o Include non‐Veteran specific partners
Provide benefits for all involved
o WIIFM/WIIFT
Not a quick fix – but a necessary practice
Slide 6: Strategic Resource Development – Because not everybody needs everything
Job Readiness
o Desire to work
o Skills and gaps identification
o Transferable skills
o Assessment
o Resume development
o Labor market information
o Soft skills
o Anything more than, “I’ll take anything.”
Networking
o “Why Should I Hire You?”
o What do you bring to the table?
o Soft skills development
o Email account and social media
Placement
o Subsidized employment
o Temporary assignments
Slide 7: One Stop Career Centers – Get to Know the Players
Mandated Partners
o Adult – Workforce Investment Act
o Veterans Workforce Programs
o Job Corps
o Employment Services (Wagner Peyser)
o Older Americans (Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
o Welfare‐to‐Work (TANF)
Non‐Mandated Partners
o Faith‐Based
o Clothing Closets
o Food Shelters
o Chambers of Commerce

o Benefits Planners/Work Incentives Specialists (SSI/SSDI)
o SCORE
Slide 8: One Stop – Potential Resources for Subsidized Work Experiences
Workforce Investment Act
o OJT (subsidized)
o Paid work experience (subsidized)
SCSEP
o Subsidized work experience
More
Slide 9: VA/VR&E: VetSuccess
You Can’t Win if you Don’t Play
o Is every SCD Veteran connected to VR&E?
o Do you know (and have a relationship with) your local/state VetSuccess
Employer Representative?
VetSuccess programs:
o NPWE – Nonpaid Work Experience
o SEI – Special Employer Incentive
o OJT
Slide 10: VA/VR&E: Non‐Paid Work Experience
Work experience must take place in local, state or federal government office (does not
count against FTEs.)
No cost to the agency; Veteran receives stipend.
Goals: to allow the veteran to gain or strengthen particular skill sets and potentially
obtain full‐time permanent employment in that office.
A 15 minute video is available for viewing on the vetsuccess.gov website (title: Your Job
Search Starts Here)
Slide 11: VA/VR&E: OJT
The employer hires the veteran at an apprentice wage and VR&E supplements the wage
up to journeyman wage.
As the veteran progresses thru training the employer begins to pay more of the salary
until the veteran reaches journeyman level and the employer is paying all of the salary.
VR&E will also pay for any necessary tools.
Slide 12: VA/VR&E: Special Employer Incentive (SEI)
Information to share with employers (for Veterans who have been re‐trained by the and
are facing extraordinary obstacles to employment.
o Example: A Veteran has PTSD and is an amputee. An employer really likes this
person and thinks they have what it takes to do the job, but is very concerned

about how s/he might reasonably accommodate their disabilities and how hiring
them will affect workplace production rates.
o The SEI will allow an employer to hire this individual and be reimbursed from VA
Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) for up to 50% of the wages for
6 months. Also VR&E will help pay for reasonable accommodations for the
veteran due to their disability.
Slide 13: Using LinkedIn: Job Postings, Job Fairs, Networking
This slide had 3 images of different resources found simply by being a member of certain
LinkedIn groups.
Slide 14: Resources Resources Resources …and then some more resources… (Secondary Title
Slide)
Slide 15: Exploring Federal, Local and State Resources using the National Resource Directory
The National Resource Directory is a website for Wounded Warriors, Service members,
Veterans, their families and those who support them.
Provides access to over 12,000 services and resources at the local, state and national
levels to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration.
www.NationalResourceDirectory.gov OR www.NRD.gov
This slide also shows an image of the front page of the NRD
Slide 16: www.NRD.gov
Subject areas:
o Benefits & Compensation
o Education & Training
o Employment
o Family & Caregiver Support
o Health
o Homeless Assistance
o Housing
o Transportation & Travel
o Other Services & Resources
Connection Tools (image of)
o Link to Us
o Create State Widget
o Suggest a Resource
o LinkedIn
o RSS Feed
o Facebook
o More
o Subscribe for Updates (enter email address)
Slide 17: Searching the NRD

This slide shows an image of the Advanced Search feature on the NRD, where you can search
both government and/or non‐government resources by subject, audience or location (including
zip code).
Slide 18: Homeless Assistance
This slide shows an image of the homeless Assistance drop down menu of the NRD, which
includes:
- VA & Other government programs
- Emergency & Transitional Housing
- Employment & Income Assistance
- Health Care, Mental Health & Substance Abuse
- Homeless Women Veterans
- Legal Assistance & Credit Counseling
- Non‐profit Programs
- Research & Reports
- Resources and Grants for Homeless Service Providers.
Also included in this slide is an image of an example of a resource list for the State of Indiana
(and shows how you can search by county and city, as well).
Slide 19: America’s Heroes at Work: An Initiative Created For Employers
This slide shows an image of the America’s Heroes at Work Home page and has a text box with
the following information:
Educating Employers on the Invisible Injuries of War
* Free *
Fact Sheets
Vetted Resources
Training Tools
Employer Toolkits
Newsletters
Presentations
Federal Partners
Links to 1:1 Assistance
Slide 20: America’s Heroes at Work
Relevant Findings from a 2008/9 Employment Pilot:
o Work experience, internship and mentorship opportunities helpful for supply
and demand
o Psychological health & general “military” stigma exists among many employers ‐
employers are unaware of the resources that exist to help them provide
appropriate workplace accommodations
In collaboration with the Society for Human Resource Management, its membership
was surveyed (June 2010)
o 46% said they believed post‐traumatic stress and other mental health issues
posed a hiring challenge.

o Just 22% said the same about combat‐related physical disabilities.
Slide 21: For Employers: Veterans Hiring Toolkit
This slide has an image of the America’s Heroes at Work Employer Toolkit, a Step‐by‐Step
Toolkit for Employers (http://www.americasheroesatwork.gov/forEmployers/HiringToolkit/).
An image of a wheel depicts the 6 steps included on the site:
1. Design a Strategy
2. Welcome & Educate
3. Actively Recruit
4. Hire & Accommodate
5. Proactively Retain
6. Tools & Resources
Slide 22: Veterans Hiring Toolkit
The Veterans Hiring Toolkit has been designed to:
o Assist and educate employers who have made the proactive decision to military
Members in their recruitment and hiring initiatives.
o Pinpoint helpful tools and outline some important steps to take when designing
a Veterans hiring initiative.
Throughout the Toolkit:
o Resource Alerts
o Did You Know?
Slide 23: The Job Accommodation Network
This slide shows an image of the landing page of the Job Accommodation Network
(http://askjan.org).
Slide 24: ONET Military Translation Resource (http://online.onetcenter.org)
This slide shows an image of the landing page for ONET Online. An arrow is pointing to the
Military Crosswalk dropdown box in the middle of the page.
Slide 25: Military Translation Resource – COOL (Credentialing Opportunities Online)
www.cool.army.mil or www.cool.navy.mil
This slide shows an image of the Credential Search page of the COOL website. An arrow is
pointing to the “Search by Civilian Career Area”
Slide 26: In the end…
…it’s all about partnership…what YOU bring to the table…and helping Veterans with barriers to
employment recognize not only their worth but what they bring to the table.
This slide includes an image of partnership, showing 4 hands, one on top of the other, all
coming together.
Slide 27: Questions
Please email your questions for presenter to: HVRP@law.syr.edu

This slide has an image of a question mark beside a figure of a person contemplating a
question.
Slide 28: We Want Your Feedback!
Please let us know how we did today:
http://websurvey.syr.edu/hvrp_eval_0413.aspx
NVTAC (National Vets Technical Assistance Center) http://bbi.syr.edu/hvrp/
A partnership: Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, the National Coalition for Homeless
Veterans and the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service
Lisa Stern (sternconsultingllc@gmail.com)
Slide 29: Sponsors
NVTAC ‐ National Vets Technical Assistance Center
Website: http://bbi.syr.edu/hvrp/
Email: hvrp@law.syr.edu
Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University
Website: http://bbi.syr.edu
U.S. Department of Labor‐Veterans' Employment & Training Service
Website: http://www.dol.gov/vets/