By Margo Scoble, NENA Director
MCS/Hollywood WorkSource, Program Director

The past few months have been difficult for some ENs and downright tragic for others with the marketing CD tool no longer available. Until we have back the capability to directly market to beneficiaries, new ways to reach ticket holders needs to be addressed. One option is to take a new approach. This article discusses partnering in your local community.

Whether your company is a stand-alone Employment Network or part of a larger organization, the advantages of partnering can be powerful. Having partner agencies can be a great resource for both you and your customers. Partnering can be informal or formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). A local EN might want to partner with an American Job Center (AJC) or their local State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (VR). The more people you can access that are potential ticket holders, the more people you might touch and eventually serve.

Partnering can seem daunting and lead to questions like “Where do I start?” “What happens once I introduce myself and my organization?” Starting within your local community is always a good idea. First, map your local area, including who is serving persons with disabilities. Contact those agencies, ask to attend an orientation, read their mission statements, access their websites and learn their goals. By doing so, you might see an opportunity where you can be of service to them and ultimately, they can refer you potential ticket holders that are ready to search for employment.

On July 1, 2015, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act will take effect, replacing the Workforce Investment Act. The new Act has specific actions that include increasing services to persons with disabilities at the American Job Centers. Many AJCs simply have not engaged this population and would welcome your input and resources. This is an ideal time to pick up that phone and try and schedule a meeting with an Executive Director or Program Manager. The more you know about the AJC you are meeting with, the higher the chances for a positive outcome. Starting small is ideal. At your first meeting, ask what programs the agency you are meeting with provides their customers, and share your services, as well. Also, it is important to understand each other’s customer base. Through this two-way conversation, opportunities will appear. Maybe you can introduce your services at weekly orientations, leave printed materials in their resource centers, and attend a staff orientation to provide an overview of your services. Once the relationship solidifies, an MOU might be developed.

Another positive outcome of partnering can be shared job leads: as ENs, we are gaining more employer openings through 503, and the AJCs all have local ample resources. Also, the AJCs do have training dollars and you might be able to request some spots be reserved for persons with disabilities, and your ticket holders would be a great fit. You can co-enroll your job seekers. Co-case management, the two of you working together, many times leads to more positive outcomes. There is absolutely no conflict of interest to duel case management as the AJCs and ENs have their money allocated from different funding streams.

Another benefit of partnering is to plant seeds for long-term growth of your business. There are Grants and Requests for Proposals for a variety of programs from different funding streams. Partnering, subcontracting and letters of support are at times necessary to secure funding. Having partners a phone call away can be an enormous help when writing a proposal to secure funding.

The Marketing and Outreach to Customers committee is presently working on two PowerPoint presentations for our ENs to access that will assist with this process. One will be a tool you can take with you when you meet with new partners to help you explain your program. The second will also be a presentation aimed at ticket holders. This will be a great resource if you are able to present at orientations.

Stay tuned for further information. We look forward to being of service!