Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Important Information from June/July Service Delivery Advisory Group (SDAG) Meetings
Paula Wansbrough attended the Service Delivery Advisory Group (SDAG) in-person meeting on June 19 and the continuation of this meeting in conference calls on July 4 and 10. A teleconference meeting of the SDAG community members only was also held on July 9.
According to MTCU, there will be slide decks and other information on the issues outlined below on the EOPG web site in the coming weeks.
Second Career Strategy (SCS) Update – presented by Kevin French, ADM, MTCU
Because SCS is designed to support recently laid-off unemployed workers, MTCU acknowledges that certain applicants are not eligible, such as those who have been out of the labour market for a longer period of time or those who were laid off but took a lower paying job. MTCU reports that they are gathering information on all who apply for SCS along lines such as gender, regional location, EI eligibility, etc. in order to learn how to serve other client groups. This tracking information will be available from MTCU. MTCU reports that it will promote SCS more widely in July through televised advertisements.
SDAG members reported on challenges with SCS, particularly around client expectations, training of agency staff, and the amount of money available, which is not enough to support a family. They were concerned about the capacity of their agencies to respond to dramatically increased inquiries that will likely result from further promotion.
EO Service Delivery Framework – Susan Underhill, MTCU
The Service Delivery Model that MTCU is moving toward is one which focuses on a "prominently branded access point" that is an obvious starting place for clients. MTCU states that the form this access point will take will vary depending upon the community; it will not necessarily be a physical location, nor is this to be a hub and spokes model. The access point will connect individuals, employers and communities with "core services" in employment, literacy and apprenticeship as well as "external services" for training and support services. A document on this material will be available on the EOPG web site in mid-July.
Currently consultations are underway within the regions to get "community footprints" and document client pathways. ACTEW strongly encourages agencies to participate in these consultations so that the needs of their clients are noted. To learn how, contact your regional director:
Central Region, Toronto - Barb Simmons
Western Region, London - Sherree Mahood
Northern Region, Sudbury - Peter Armstrong
Eastern Region, Ottawa - Robert Dupuis
Employment Services Implementation – Sabrina Parnham, MTCU
New Service Delivery Model:
This presentation includes important information on what EO agencies will look like by the end of the implementation. Any agency operating within the EO service delivery network by June 2010 must be providing the "full suite" of services, which includes:
• Client Service Planning and Coordination (assessment)
• Job Search
• Job Matching, Placement and Incentives
• Job Retention
• Special Services
This model will replace Job Connect (excluding Summer Job Service), Employment Assistance Services (assessment, case management, counseling, job search, specialized services, job development) and Targeted Wage Subsidy.
It is unclear if services and programs designed specifically for women are a specialized service under this model. ACTEW is seeking clarity on what is meant when the term is used but MTCU staff acknowledge that the term "specialized services" is being used differently by different branches within MTCU. It was suggested that each region must determine where women’s services fit, which points again to the importance of agencies’ participation in local consultations with their regional directors.
MTCU stated that by June 2010 agencies could no longer sub-contract services to meet the "full suite" requirement. However, Kevin French also noted that they do not want to lose innovative strategies in service provision, so agencies that participate in successful collaborative models may have a place in EO after June 2010.
Assessment of Current Service Providers:
Organizations will be assessed on a variety of components:
- community needs
- capacity to deliver the full suite of services
- risk assessment (adherence to transfer payments)
- current performance
- additional strengths, such as serving a particular population, community connections, etc.
SDAG members recommended that MTCU develop an assessment guide for service delivery agencies.
Implementation Timeline:
Summer 2008 – community engagement and regional implementation plans
October 2008 – contract negotiations; development of service delivery standards
April 2009 – 25% of service providers offer the full suite of services; continuation of contract negotiations
June 2010 – all offer the full suite; transformation of service delivery for skills training begins
Integrated Local Labour Market Planning (ILLMP) - Catherine Drea, MTCU
MTCU is implementing Integrated Local Labour Market Planning, with pilot projects currently unfolding in Peterborough, Durham, Timmins, Thunder Bay and Niagara. According to Kevin French, "Local Boards, acting in a secretariat role will help establish Labour Market Planning Committees [LMPC] comprising community leaders who have an understanding of and commitment to labour force development." LMPCs will undertake research on the labour market needs of a particular community or region. LMPCs will not determine who delivers services in a community, but what services are needed, and provide this information to MTCU, which will use it to make decisions on funding allocations.
Agencies can learn more about the ILLMP or participate in consultations on this process by contacting the following MTCU staff or their regional directors.
• Lauri Cunningham 416-314-3503, email: lauri.cunningham@ontario.ca
• Teenie Gibson 416-326-0385, email: teenie.gibson@ontario.ca
• Liz Robinson 416-314-3516, email: liz.robinson@ontario.ca
Participating in the LMPC will be time consuming; however, this committee will greatly impact the employment and training services for its community.
In other notes, an EOPG web site audit is underway and MTCU is seeking feedback from the community on this process.
According to MTCU, there will be slide decks and other information on the issues outlined below on the EOPG web site in the coming weeks.
Second Career Strategy (SCS) Update – presented by Kevin French, ADM, MTCU
Because SCS is designed to support recently laid-off unemployed workers, MTCU acknowledges that certain applicants are not eligible, such as those who have been out of the labour market for a longer period of time or those who were laid off but took a lower paying job. MTCU reports that they are gathering information on all who apply for SCS along lines such as gender, regional location, EI eligibility, etc. in order to learn how to serve other client groups. This tracking information will be available from MTCU. MTCU reports that it will promote SCS more widely in July through televised advertisements.
SDAG members reported on challenges with SCS, particularly around client expectations, training of agency staff, and the amount of money available, which is not enough to support a family. They were concerned about the capacity of their agencies to respond to dramatically increased inquiries that will likely result from further promotion.
EO Service Delivery Framework – Susan Underhill, MTCU
The Service Delivery Model that MTCU is moving toward is one which focuses on a "prominently branded access point" that is an obvious starting place for clients. MTCU states that the form this access point will take will vary depending upon the community; it will not necessarily be a physical location, nor is this to be a hub and spokes model. The access point will connect individuals, employers and communities with "core services" in employment, literacy and apprenticeship as well as "external services" for training and support services. A document on this material will be available on the EOPG web site in mid-July.
Currently consultations are underway within the regions to get "community footprints" and document client pathways. ACTEW strongly encourages agencies to participate in these consultations so that the needs of their clients are noted. To learn how, contact your regional director:
Central Region, Toronto - Barb Simmons
Western Region, London - Sherree Mahood
Northern Region, Sudbury - Peter Armstrong
Eastern Region, Ottawa - Robert Dupuis
Employment Services Implementation – Sabrina Parnham, MTCU
New Service Delivery Model:
This presentation includes important information on what EO agencies will look like by the end of the implementation. Any agency operating within the EO service delivery network by June 2010 must be providing the "full suite" of services, which includes:
• Client Service Planning and Coordination (assessment)
• Job Search
• Job Matching, Placement and Incentives
• Job Retention
• Special Services
This model will replace Job Connect (excluding Summer Job Service), Employment Assistance Services (assessment, case management, counseling, job search, specialized services, job development) and Targeted Wage Subsidy.
It is unclear if services and programs designed specifically for women are a specialized service under this model. ACTEW is seeking clarity on what is meant when the term is used but MTCU staff acknowledge that the term "specialized services" is being used differently by different branches within MTCU. It was suggested that each region must determine where women’s services fit, which points again to the importance of agencies’ participation in local consultations with their regional directors.
MTCU stated that by June 2010 agencies could no longer sub-contract services to meet the "full suite" requirement. However, Kevin French also noted that they do not want to lose innovative strategies in service provision, so agencies that participate in successful collaborative models may have a place in EO after June 2010.
Assessment of Current Service Providers:
Organizations will be assessed on a variety of components:
- community needs
- capacity to deliver the full suite of services
- risk assessment (adherence to transfer payments)
- current performance
- additional strengths, such as serving a particular population, community connections, etc.
SDAG members recommended that MTCU develop an assessment guide for service delivery agencies.
Implementation Timeline:
Summer 2008 – community engagement and regional implementation plans
October 2008 – contract negotiations; development of service delivery standards
April 2009 – 25% of service providers offer the full suite of services; continuation of contract negotiations
June 2010 – all offer the full suite; transformation of service delivery for skills training begins
Integrated Local Labour Market Planning (ILLMP) - Catherine Drea, MTCU
MTCU is implementing Integrated Local Labour Market Planning, with pilot projects currently unfolding in Peterborough, Durham, Timmins, Thunder Bay and Niagara. According to Kevin French, "Local Boards, acting in a secretariat role will help establish Labour Market Planning Committees [LMPC] comprising community leaders who have an understanding of and commitment to labour force development." LMPCs will undertake research on the labour market needs of a particular community or region. LMPCs will not determine who delivers services in a community, but what services are needed, and provide this information to MTCU, which will use it to make decisions on funding allocations.
Agencies can learn more about the ILLMP or participate in consultations on this process by contacting the following MTCU staff or their regional directors.
• Lauri Cunningham 416-314-3503, email: lauri.cunningham@ontario.ca
• Teenie Gibson 416-326-0385, email: teenie.gibson@ontario.ca
• Liz Robinson 416-314-3516, email: liz.robinson@ontario.ca
Participating in the LMPC will be time consuming; however, this committee will greatly impact the employment and training services for its community.
In other notes, an EOPG web site audit is underway and MTCU is seeking feedback from the community on this process.
Labels: ACTEW_Activities, Meetings_and_Events, MTCU_Updates
