2.0 THEME: EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

In Kings County there are a number of Employment Services agencies available for people seeking jobs. There are also a number of agencies that offer support to help individuals learn skills to become more employable. The significant organizations which have mandates to support people in finding jobs through a counseling relationship are:

PeopleWorx This is the primary generic organization that is available to anyone who is interested in finding jobs in Kings County.

Community Inc: Focuses on people with disabilities looking for jobs

Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA): Focuses on people with mental health challenges, with part of their mandate to be helping them find employment

Valley African Nova Scotia Development Association (VANSDA): Focuses on people who are of African Nova Scotia background with part of their mandate to help them find employment.


YouthWorks: Focuses on youth looking for jobs

Community Inc, CMHA, VANSDA and YouthWorks have specialized mandates as identified above, and we refer to them as ‘specialized agencies’ in this chapter.

There are also agencies that offer a range of vocational supports for people with special needs. They offer hands-on job-readiness experiences. They may offer job counseling services as well. They are:

  Flowercart – mandated to serve those considered to have an intellectual disability
  The Beehive - mandated to serve those considered to have an intellectual disability
  Apple Tree Industries – mandated to serve those living at Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre
  The Plank and Hammer – mandated to serve those living at Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre
  PeopleWorx: the Annapolis Valley Work Centre - division, mandated to help anyone in the community who needs skills development.

We interviewed two participants who resided outside of Kings County, in adjoining counties. Their experiences were with different agencies.

There are also a number of other groups which conduct Employment Services-type of work that seek to help people find employment as well as deliver other primary services. Residential Services, e.g., group homes take responsibility to help residents work on their vocational goals. Churches and community groups help individuals with various informal supports. For the purposes of this report we will be focusing on the organizations that have mandates to support people in finding jobs through a counseling relationship.

The barriers identified by participants under the theme Employment Services include:

2.1  Self-directed job search approach does not work for participants.

2.1.1  Low Literacy: did not know how to use the internet

2.1.2  Additional help needed after initial services delivered

2.2  Service Delivery too standard.

2.2.1 Specialized knowledge to serve people with challenges and/or disabilities not available

2.2.2  Specialized knowledge to serve people with multiple challenges and/or disabilities not available

2.2.3  A ‘next level’ of service needed: Knowledgeable workers with individualized specializations

2.2.4  Knowledge of, and access to, employers willing to hire people with challenges and disabilities

2.3  Lack of clarity of services available: referral protocol unclear among Employment Services agencies

2.4  Insensitive interactions

As we learned in investigating many aspects of service delivery for job seekers, the specific roles and mandates of various organizations were unclear. A number of the organizations named above indicated that they could work with people outside their specific mandate, e.g., VANSDA is now identified as a generic employment service, and can serve anyone in Kings County. We were confused to learn this, and can understand that people with fewer literacy skills and familiarity with services can be even more challenged by the slippery grasp of `who does what`. We will refer to people who use these services as ‘clients’ if we are not identifying specific comments made by research participants.

In our questionnaire, we asked about Employment Service agencies use. Fig. 2.1 shows the percentage of participants who had been involved with employment services and how recently and Fig. 2.2 indicates their level of satisfaction with the service they received.

We discuss both the barriers and positive experiences participants had with Employment Services in this chapter. The majority who had used Employment Services in the last few years had primarily positive experiences, although their complete needs were not met by the services.

Summary of Positive Experiences using Employment Services reported by participants:

  Generally, participants stated that they thought the services created an environment in which they felt supported and comfortable.
  Resume writing, interview role playing, workshops on career identification were all seen as helpful.
  Free use of computer, access to printers, and support to use computer for job search were helpful services.
  Participants found that having job advertisements compiled by service staff was helped.
  Some participants indicated that Employment Services helped them get into training programs that they may not have been able to access on their own.

“Self-directed job search” is an approach to employment services that is generally available in many employment service organizations. Help is given for the person to job search on their own, by being offered job search tools such as

  Updating and reformatting resumes
  Guidance regarding the interview process
  Free photocopying and sending resumes
  Free internet use to find jobs
  Instruction on using specialized tools for job search, including using the Government of Canada Job Bank internet site.

These services are essential services that need to continue. These tools helped did not meet all of the needs of those we interviewed who had negative or mixed experiences with Employment Services. They needed enhanced support to help them through their job search.

1.1.1 LOW LITERACY, SOME DID NOT KNOW HOW TO USE THE INTERNET

In our questionnaire, 32% of our participants did not know how to use the internet well enough to find a job. Without participants being able to use the internet, there is no access to the generic job searching tools and the Government of Canada’s job bank. The availability of computers and computer programs through employment services agencies were of no use to a third of the people we interviewed.

Some participants had low literacy skills and had help with the resume they presented to us. As well as not knowing how to use the Internet some could not clearly identify what specific jobs they were looking for and how to find jobs. There are courses for identifying ones’ appropriate career path, matching skills and interests. However, from our direct experience with these workshops and interactions with some participants the literacy expectations for these workshops were beyond their capacity.

1.1.2 ADDITIONAL HELP NEEDED AFTER INITIAL SERVICES PROVIDED

Some people who used Employment Services had taken the courses offered for career decision making, and job search technique, adapted their resumes as suggested, and found those services helpful. However, months and years later, they still were without jobs. Their understanding was that there was nothing available as follow up to these introductory workshops. They were looking for direction as to how to continue the search, adapt their approach, and find out their options.

Leanne: I wasn’t asking her to do anything other than her job. She just didn't want to look after me anymore. I wanted to know what were my options such as looking at starting a business or other jobs she had looked at before, but she was finished with me.

Others found the lack of self help or support groups left them with a strong sense of isolation. There is a ‘Job Finders’ club, but it is funded strictly for people on Income Assistance. Participants not on Income Assistance craved group support for job seeking.

Paula: We need more resources for networking – maybe a coffee hour at the local Employment Services. We’re out there on our own. It would be so helpful to break into groups where we share common challenges. We need social networking – an opportunity to bring employers in – more needs to be done to help us get through these difficult months.

Or maybe a computer chat line for unemployed people - maybe it would help if we talked to each other, our experiences – if I were chatting with some other people who also had been treated poorly by employers,... I’d be saying to them, “Let them know it’s not acceptable” – that would be a form of social support.

Participants indicated that the exclusive offering of self-directed job search tools and supports does not work for them. They also needed access to workers who had the ability and willingness to identify what they were doing that was wrong in their approach and give honest, direct feedback.

It was not clear if there was support offered for clients when they are on job placements, such as through a wage subsidy program[1]. The lack of having someone to help navigate work challenges caused a number of participants to lose jobs that may have become successful. Ella knew that she was going into a psychotic episode during a work experience; but she did not know how to ask for help prior to everything collapsing and her being fired. She felt alone, and became paralyzed and helpless as her illness took more of a hold on her.

Ella I would love to have had a worker to help me deal with the job problems.

Ella did have a supportive manager. Upon reflection, Ella felt that if she or a support worker had contacted her manager, she might have been able to return to work, after dealing with her difficulties through a leave of absence. We spoke to numerous participants who once hired, saw problems as a result of their needs for accommodation not being identified or not being needing adjusted as required. They did not know how to address these needs with the employer, and consequently were fired. This general need for support for workplace accommodation during a job is discussed more thoroughly in Job Properties: however, the lack of a person to follow up during a wage subsidy/sponsored placement was separately identified as a barrier. When we spoke to those involved with Employment Support services, their understanding was that individual employees decide whether or not support is offered.

Lynne decided that she wanted to obtain a degree: it took her more than 10 years to obtain it. She worked consistently at it over the years, course by course, as she had considerable challenges due to problems resulting from a car accident. By the time she obtained it, she was much older than other applicants, and likely missed a career opportunity. We recognize that she probably was determined to reach her goal at the time. At the end of the years of study, she had obtained her degree, but still did not have any ability to work in the field she obtained the degree in. Upon reflection, summer jobs or placements would have moved her along the career decision path considerably. She had a disabilities coordinator at the university, who helped her immensely with issues at school. She did not have someone to help her identify an overall plan to find out if she had the ability to do the work in the field, not just attend university.

Lynne ... No in the summer it was sort of like ok school is finished ok we’ll see you in Sept. You’ll be around in Sept. Well what are you gonna do in the meantime? I don’t know and umm and nobody ever said well, “Go get a job.”

She obtained support from Employment Services to identify that as a career goal, but did not have anyone to help her identify how to best use her decade of study.

1.2.1 SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE TO SERVICE PEOPLE WITH CHALENGES AND/OR DISABILITIES NOT AVAILABLE 

Most of the people we spoke to had needs for specialized job search practices; some were disabled, some had been away from the workforce for a long time so they did not know what they were facing with employment expectations, some had significant training but seemed to need a specialist who knew what intricacies particular fields sought in job seekers. Many participants with those special needs stated they did not have them met by the current role of an employment counselor.

Participants did not know how to communicate both their skills and strengths and the request for extra consideration from employers due to the challenges they had.

Interviewer: When applying for jobs, do you self disclose? About the mental illness?

Josh: No

Interviewer: Why not?

Josh: It’s embarrassing... I don’t like being different

Josh had been hired and fired many times from fast food jobs due to his inability to handle the intense demands. He has been involved with Employment Services and he has a worker he feels comfortable with. He was not willing to self-identify that he experienced panic attacks and needed support from the employer to deal with them. Although he found his Employment Services worker helpful, it seemed that they had not addressed a key aspect of his difficulty in finding employment, i.e., how to communicate his need regarding his mental health issue.

We spoke to a significant number of participants who had challenges that required asking employers for special consideration, i.e., accommodation[2]. People with brain injury may be able to only work for short shifts; people with a panic disorder may need brief help to support them. Participants were at a loss to know how to and when to approach an employer about these needs and felt stymied as a result, unable to even know who to ask for support.

As we became familiar with the services available through the various Employment Services agencies, we learned that some agencies do have workers who are specifically trained to offer that specific kind of support. However, when some participants indicated they did find support in specialized agencies that did deal with various disabilities we seem to have caught them in the middle of working with a program that no longer existed. At least three people we spoke to had been recently finding success with a worker in a specialized agency that had the job qualities we are recommending to address these unmet needs. The position of a specialized ‘job coach’ offered more individual service. The coach offered support in a wider variety of ways than Employment Counselors, such as accompanying applicants to job interviews, following through until they had obtained work. Unfortunately, funding had later been cut and the position lost. Others had just started to work with a similar job coach in another specialized agency, and found that experience useful. However awareness of this service was low: only a small number of participants were aware of it. It appears to be a recent service, as others who had utilized that agency less recently did not report positive experiences.

We interviewed people who had given up looking years ago. As a result, some identified service needs that it appears could now be met. As indicated above, some agencies do have workers who have a more extensive job role than supporting self directed job search. As indicated one successful service was lost due to cut backs, disheartening to those who had found it helpful. Others who more recently had been involved with an Employment Service organization identified gaps or barriers in service delivery that did not exist. It appeared they had not been referred to the appropriate agency which met their need. Regardless of the specific reasons, the participants did not know of such services, and perceived a barrier to their job seeking.

1.2.2 SPECIALIZATION REGARDING ISSUES FOR PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE CHALLENGES AND/OR DISABILITIES NOT AVAILABLE

More than half of the people we interviewed had more than one challenge or disability. Their different challenges or disabilities demanded different accommodations at the workplace. At times these demands conflicted: a participant with both a bad back and a mental health issue was given two different recommendations. To address the bad back issue, he was encouraged to find jobs that were sedentary; to address the mental health issue, he was encouraged to find jobs in which there was variety and change of location. These are not mutually exclusive needs but are not easily addressed in one specific job. He needed a counselor who knew how to balance the competing needs and identify what job properties were essential, and what were adaptable.

Terry: I took a Career Assessment test – it said I could be a museum curator, grass and flower person, (can’t – I’m allergic) security guard (can’t, I’m obese). I have so many limitations

Interviewer: Anyone given you a list of what you can do?

Terry: No one.

This person did have significant limitations, but also had some very obvious strengths. He needed someone to help him narrow down the career options that had been presented in a generic format that were not applicable to his situation: museum curator positions in Kings County are close to nonexistent. What he needed was someone to help identify what a test told him made him a strong museum curator candidate, adapt those qualities to identify the kind of positions available in Kings County and also deal with his other challenges.

The existing system appears to ask him and others like him to split up their various needs, making a choice of which one is more important, missing the recognition that their needs overlap and interrelate.

Jennifer: The policy in the Valley which is probably everywhere is that I can only work with one place so now I’m with the one that helps with my physical challenges. I can't work with mental health. It's either one or the other and I chose the one that helped with my other disabilities.

A number of Employment Services staff echoed this protocol to working with people with more than one challenge or disability: they ask clients to identify the ‘primary disability’ that they feel is preventing them from becoming employed, they then focus on addressing that one, or refer to the appropriate agency for the challenge or disability identified as ‘primary’.

One agency does undertake working with people with multiple disabilities, but the service is relatively recent. Regardless, awareness of the possibility of the options of temporary transfer from one agency to another, or having one agency address all their disabilities, was not mentioned to us by any participants who discussed the frustrations stemming from using different agencies. The participant quoted above as believing she had to choose one or the other agency had actually used one of the agencies that identifies as working with people with multiple disabilities. This appears to indicate the lack of consistency in the message that people with multiple disabilities can be served by one agency, or that clients do not need to choose one.

We later found out through more detailed discussions with Employment Services staff that the perception that a job seeker with multiple challenge needs to choose one or the other agency is not entirely accurate. A client could stay with one of the agencies with a worker in that agency as their primary case manager and then be referred to other services for specific reasons, returning to the case manager when appropriate. However, it was verified that the individual could only be involved with one agency in a month. The practice appeared to be that the case manager would refer clients to other agencies for specific training. The client would be expected to return to the case manager after the goal was met. The supports offered are delivered consecutively.

The perception held by participants and many in the Employment Services system is that the person with multiple challenges is asked to separate their different needs, and deal with them one at a time. Some participants had done so, and had obtained different and conflicting advice depending on the agency’s specialization. They were given opposite advice regarding important topics, from how to write a resume to dealing with their challenge or disability. There was no opportunity to address the issue assertively.

Jennifer: What I took from the one specialized agency were (useful courses), and resume creation. I found out later their resume creation was not very good – I don’t want to blame them, but now I’m working with another specialized agency ... and I don't want to blame them but they took one look at it and went “Whoa” ...maybe that’s why I haven’t been able to find a job.

We heard from employers there is no one right way. According to the participants, they had no option to meet with the two counselors at the same time to understand the rationale for the varying suggestions. From what we heard, the dynamic of the segregation of the services was not conducive to sharing this dissatisfaction with a counselor. We do not know if the counselors are aware of this frustrating dynamic. When we asked about it during interviews with the Employment Services counselors there did not appear to be recognition of this policy causing problems for clients with multiple challenges and/or disabilities.

1.2.3 A ‘NEXT LEVEL' OF SERVICE NEEDED: KNOWLEDGEABLE WORKERS WITH INDIVIDUAL SPEACIALIZATIONS 

Rob had a serious car accident and had to shift his job expectations from career focus to more rudimentary jobs. He lived in the area for many years but was unfamiliar with employment opportunities for jobs that required less training than he had. He went to an Employment Services agency, and did not find the kind of practical support he expected

Rob: They don’t know where the jobs are....I thought there would be a listing of employers in that area

Our interview with Eva indicated a gap in employment services. Eva had worked in human services both with full-time jobs and contract work, but after her last contract ended two years ago she was unable to find work. She decided to return to school for a third time in order to improve her possibility of success in the labor market. She did not qualify under any of the target groups[3] for specialized counseling. It is possible she was viewed as being able to conduct a self-directed job search. She is literate, has connections, and is able to use the computer well. However, she is not able to put it all together to find a job. She felt she needed someone with a higher level of expertise than is available in Kings County. She felt she needed expertise that would cover knowledge of specific employment requirements in her field, what such employers are looking for in resumes, and what it would take to have her strengths stand out. She did not know what was preventing her from obtaining employment. Listening to her and reading her resume we could only agree with her bewilderment.

Eva: That’s what I need - a professional, someone who can find me a job, tell me where the jobs are help me gear my – my resume...I need some high level assistance in that way. I have phoned around I can’t find anyone. I was willing to pay – I don’t care I need someone to make myself stand above the competition. I need to stand out better.

We heard from participants who had initially received self directed services that they did not get the kind of support they needed. However, when they were later accepted for specialized services such, as those for people with disabilities, they said they found the kind of support that was helpful. For those who did not have identified special needs they found a significant gap in terms of a “next level” of employment services.

Eva: From not being able to get a full time job, I’m in a position to not being able to get a student loan, and not knowing where to get help. I know some people would beg to differ they'd say “we have this program that program” – but for me I don't fit anywhere.

I talked to someone from Halifax for an hour and a half. “Tell me there’s nothing for me” She wouldn’t say it, but she said it. There are no programs they can help me with.

Leanne had developed health concerns in the last few years requiring workplace accommodations but she also has a high level of education and experience. A number of people in her field have been laid off in Kings County in the last few years. She felt the generic agency recognized that her needs were above their abilities and referred her to an agency that addressed one of her challenges, depression. Although she received some support there, the agency did not offer specialized knowledge in helping someone in her field take her strengths and high level of qualifications transfer them to another field.

Leanne: And she took my resume to the director who said “You don't need any training. We will just help you find a job” and she never helped me find a job at all.

The frustration participants felt from doing what was suggested and still coming up with no results contributed to low self concept.

A year ago Monica felt the main reason she was not finding work was that she was looking for work in Halifax where there was a lot of competition, so she moved to the Annapolis Valley. The move did not resolve her job seeking dilemma. Her alarm at the resultant financial stress led to a profound sense of hopelessness. She had been an Employment Services worker previously: the indignity of not being able to implement what she knew was significant.

Monica: I have 4 degrees, one honors one Masters, and from a while ago – other college education. I have a GPA of 4.0. Previously from a few years back I've had different types of training – NONE of those sources of education or training ever led to any jobs. I've been here a year and I've worked landscaping, cleaning apartments, chauffeured someone, movie production, yard work, delivered flyers. None net you enough money to pay for food, rent, utilities, and the basics. And none of those jobs led to permanent work.

(talks about the various workshops she’s attended through Employment Services agencies)...I've done all that. I know about networking, the job market I know all these things. I've tried all of it. (voice rising) If I had an answer to why I’m unemployed, I’d be employed, I’d figure out the combination, have the answer, and be back into the workforce. But I’m not. That’s why I’m here.

1.2.4 KNOWLEDGE OF, AND ACCESS TO, EMPLOYERS WILLING TO HIRE PEOPLE WITH CHALLENGES AND DISABILITIES

Jim: (We need) some where that potential seekers and employers could be put together.

Most participants had some form of challenge or disability. They knew that some employers would be more likely to be supportive than others – sending out applications to employers who were not interested in working with people with special needs was a waste of time, and led to a feeling of hopelessness.

We became aware of two forums for inclusive employers to meet with people with challenges and disabilities; 1) The Tools for Life Conference[4] has become an annual, fall event in Kings County. One of its activities is having employers who identify as being supportive host display tables and take applications, 2) the local Career Resource Centre has a daylong event in May for employers and potential employees to meet. Knowing who the inclusive employers are would be difficult if you did not attend these two events.

There are Employment Services workers, “Job Developers” whose jobs are to identify and develop relationships with supportive employers. The Job Developers are geared towards people who identify as having a disability. Participants we spoke to were not aware of any job developers. We are not sure as to the reason for this, but participants could not find the service they wanted to be connected with employers who were open to hiring people with challenges and disabilities.

Participants spent considerable energy identifying what agency would serve them best, and then months later, sometimes found out that another agency actually had more appropriate services for them. Deciding whether or not to undertake a whole new attempt at developing a relationship with a new agency and staff was not easy. The initial mandates of the agencies and their current service delivery frequently were different. As noted above, participants were often given contradictory advice regarding resume writing and other job seeking techniques. Rather than finding that the system was tailored to give them suitable services, it appeared the options were like a “box of chocolates”– and finding out which chocolate was the right one for them took trial and error. The cost of this convoluted process to the participants’ hardiness, time and self confidence was unmistakable.

Monica was new to the area and had initially gone to the generic employment service when looking for work, and as indicated above, felt extremely discouraged from her experiences in Halifax and here. Between the time we initially met her, and the time we interviewed her, she believed she found what she needed in an Employment Services agency. Monica had developed a number of medical conditions in a recent three year span. Through meeting one (non-professional) person who suggested she go to an employment services agency which specialized in working with people with disabilities, she felt she finally found success. After a while she accepted the designation of a person with a disability. She went back to the initial generic agency after she had become involved with a disabilities specific organization, to see why she had ‘missed’ the specialized organization.

Monica ...It was because the information wasn’t readily accessible. I thought it was odd that the organization didn’t have a bunch of pamphlets about the other groups, such as the one I went to. I thought that’s kind of odd – your eyes open up, you have a different way of looking at the world, when you suddenly realize you are person with a disability and you see it a different way you see things that make things difficult I couldn’t really see any real resources. At NSCC they had a sheet at the library of all the websites for people with disabilities could go. It was right there, all these different resources that you could get. I thought “Isn’t it interesting the pile of sheets was just sitting there. The same kind of resources were not there at the kind of place that I thought it would've been – at an employment resource center. I think it would be a pretty important thing to have there but obviously not.

Leanne had gone to three different agencies, found specific kinds of help with two felt abandoned by being referred to a specialized agency. She was sent to a third specialized agency that did not seem to fit her situation at all. After many meetings with workers, and considerable frustration, she returned to the initial Employment Services agency.

Leanne: When I went back to the career resource center they indicated that they knew the agency was like that. So I asked them “Why did you send me there if you knew that?” But I've tried every avenue! Is there a place for purple people to go? Maybe I’ll paint myself purple and go there.

1.4 INSENSITIVE INTERACTIONS                                                                        

A number of barriers we heard about were focused on policies, not personnel difficulties. Nevertheless, it appears that there is a need for education of some Employment Services workers regarding people with challenges and disabilities particularly with regard expressing stereotypes or discomfort with people with various challenges and disabilities.

Sally was frustrated because she was constantly categorized by Employment Services workers as disabled and they assumed that she wanted to work with people who also are disabled.

While we recognize that service to clients may inevitably fall short of perfection, what we heard was that what could appear to be minor lapses in staff’s behaviour were felt deeply and carried for years. We have adopted the term “perceived slights”[5] to describe these situations which happen to vulnerable people on a regular basis.

We were told of off-handed comments by Employment Services staff that contained derogatory terms about people with challenges and disabilities. Hearing these created hurt and distrust. This fed into the negative self-image that the participants had about themselves. The more they heard such comments the deeper the sense of despair they had about not being able to overcome the barriers they were experiencing became.

We do not want to create a sense of attacking hard-working service staff in this report; however, we felt we had to voice this as it did have long-standing impact on participants. We suggest that extra vigilance be used when working with people who have challenges and/or disabilities.

Employment Services staff were consulted on a number of occasions throughout the research project. We attended a monthly meeting that occurs among a number of employment services staff, called The Partners Meeting. We appreciated their welcome and the efforts to respond to our inquiries.

It is recognized that the Employment Services delivery system is complex. Learning about it when first hired as a staff person was described as ‘arduous’ by one staff member. As researchers, we are aware that we did not become knowledgeable about all the intricacies but suggest that this reflects the reality of systems with multiple entry points and services that are duplicated.

When we interviewed some staff from Employment Services their perspective was very different from participants’. We found considerable discrepancy between the two perceptions – the intentions of the staff serving the client and what the client experienced being offered. Table 2.1 below tries to come to an understanding of the different views of service gaps and service protocol the two groups had. Some barriers that participants had identified were a complete surprise to staff. Protocols were in place for service delivery that some participants had no understanding of, and felt did not occur. There are items mentioned that participants did not name as ‘barriers’, but indicated they felt should be offered as services.

We spoke to service providers who worked with the various agencies frequently, and they agreed with many of the barriers the participants identified. They found the willingness to offer additional support past the first level of services delivered depended on the Employment Services staff’s agency mandate and individual staff’s perception of what support to offer.

As indicated at the beginning of this chapter in Figure 2.2 many participants found employment services a positive experience and saw their barriers elsewhere in the system. However, some of our findings are that people with multiple challenges have distinctive needs that are not currently being met.

Another finding is that people may not have an identified barrier or fall within a cultural, age or disability group as per the targeted programs but have the same problems looking for employment as those in the targeted groups. The system of targeting populations is an understandable one for government service delivery, but is of concern.

People with either none of the identified targeted conditions or many of them do not fit into the categories identified in targeted program delivery. As a result, it appears that at times the most at risk are the least effectively served.

Participants who were old enough to have experienced service delivery directly through the Federal government, rather than the current mixed system compared the two systems. They commented on what they experienced as detrimental changes when the federal government withdrew from direct service, through Manpower. Manpower was one government department which offered all employment services needed. They found it easy to identify what services they needed and maintain a sense of continuity as they utilized different branches of the one service department. They found since the province had taken over many organizations the same tasks as Manpower however the requirement to utilize different organizations increases their difficulty in obtaining appropriate support.

RECOMMENDATIONS
 

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PARTICIAPNTS

We asked participants what worked currently and also what they believed would help in future. The following is a summary of their statements. Unexpectedly, we heard that there had been services in place previously that at least one participant found useful.

PREVIOUS SUCCESSFIL SERVICES

One participant has serious mental health problems, and has been involved with the mental health system in Kings County for decades. He spoke of two programs that had worked previously for him. The first was a day program that was offered at the hospital.

Bill: The day program – that’s what I would need – it was perfect – people different ages, staff were there. It had a good structure, personalities of staff members made it work.

Interviewer: Was attendance required?

Bill: No there were lenient rules.

Interviewer: What happened –?

Bill: It was in the old hospital. There were groups, crafts, we learned how to cook together, and you could see a social worker or psychologist 1 – 1. There was an atmosphere of support. It was very nice. There were lots of different groups. 7 – 8 people – the staff lead a discussion/support group. We talked about problems we were having – personal and social problems. Whatever was causing anxiety. The group supports helped us create order in our lives – we could bring problems to light. When we were at jobs, they would help with difficult situation in our lives to get through it, then we’d go back to work. There were job development groups, reading groups. Different support and employment agencies came and spoke. You’d find out about community events. Normally, I didn’t know where to go – they’d give suggestions.

The other successful situation he spoke of was a carpentry workshop. It was run by someone who also had a serious mental health problem. Bill felt that it really was helpful that the supervisor had first-hand experience as a person with bi polar illness.

Bill: You don’t take orders at a job the same way. It takes a different tone of voice to get through to you....some people can’t have bi polar work for them. They (people with bi-polar condition) are emotionally numb – they can’t receive information the same. There needs to be another tone of voice for us to understand. The man I talked about knew how to work with us, he was bipolar as well

CURRENT SERVICES PARTICIPANTS FIND HELPFUL

Regarding what is available that particularly helped participants who needed extra support to adapt to employment conditions, participants named the following as the most useful:

  Wage subsidy programs.[8]Participants found wage subsidy programs did help give them and the employer a way to identify if the participant was appropriate for the job. However, there were also a number of negative experiences that participants had with wage subsidy programs. Wages subsidies are explored in depth at the end of Theme Chapter 4: Government Policies and Practices.

 Workers who knew how to match a client and a possible job:

Lynne: She (a helpful employment support worker Lynne had), always reminded me of Sherlock Holmes. I was looking at this job ad and she says “There is a lot of accounting in that job, now you said you weren’t good at math or particularly strong in math”. It said, “General office”, it didn’t say specifically that it was mainly accounting work.

 Job coaching[9]: Workers engaged with Employment Services as Job Coaches gave more individualized service. Job Coaches helped establish relationships with employers and gave much more direct feedback to participants regarding the specific job search issues than other generic Employment Services workers were mandated to provide. The role of the job coach is to be a liaison between the client and the employer to deal with special conditions the potential employee has. At times the Job Coach attended the job interview with the participant.

The job coaching position was one that a number of participants had found effective, but was lost in one agency due to funding cuts. There are some workers employed as job coaches in other specialized agencies as well. In some of the specialized agencies there are workers with job descriptions which are meeting some of the needs of people with significant challenges. Jennifer spoke highly of the role of job coaches in this description of her involvement with one:

Jennifer: They aren’t coddling me – providing a sponge, a barrier between the interview for me....They also are hand holders – they will go with you to the interview, they’ll set up the employer to be prepared for my barriers, and all that. And I don't care what anyone says I think that's awesome. I don't have any pride (laughs) Pride is for suckers. I'm not going to squander my chances…. say “I don't need my hand held because I totally do” That’s the only way to get people like me a modicum of success

The ability to be flexible and continue supporting the clients as they adapted into the work force was extremely helpful.

Jennifer: There’s multiple levels they do. They can be at an interview with you - they can go with you to do the job for the first time to make sure that everything is working out They work with the employer to help the employer with the particular barrier that the person has. So there's multiple things that they can do, it's like a cushion, it's not a sponge it's a cushion.

  An expertise in helping clients accept that they have more challenges or disabilities than they may have initially self-identified: This process allowed the client to consider asking for support as a result of being designated as disabled.[10] As a result the participant transitioned from feeling unsupported and incompetent to understanding that they had developed conditions that deserved to be recognized, and thus they requested work place accommodations.

Monica: They helped when they asked what kind of health problems I have... I listed that I have chronic fatigue, have fibro myalgia, have diabetes, heart condition. And they asked what I thought someone with disability was like. ... Perhaps you’re answering your own question...think about it for awhile. She said “Make an appointment and we’ll talk some more”. (she) Kept on – did a lot of medical assessment - we went– through all the medical assessments. If I’d taken my name off the page - I have thought this person has a lot of problems didn't mention I have environmental illness.

  Maintain an ongoing relationship with the client as they go through various aspects of becoming more job ready:

Monica: Yes she is still there as a bit of an anchor so I'm not out there floating alone in the sea. If I want to pull my boat back to the wharf there is someone there. I thought that was it when I went to NSCC – she had to sign a form “I’m not finished with you yet, I’ll call” “You make sure it’s soon” I will give her a call – I thought I was done.

The flexibility that the counselor had in terms of how she would help Monica allowed the participant to know that if she needed help she did not have to identify specific issues in order to see her again. Other agencies’ mandates require that the client only return to address specific issues.

Interviewer: What do you think she’ll be there for?

Monica: I don’t know

Interviewer: what would you like to get from her?

Monica: so she does have the term counselor after her name. It would be helpful to be able to bounce off of her some of the things I feel are going on are some of the things I don't feel I'm getting.

Jim has a criminal record. He found The John Howard Society in Halifax created a sense of community and offered supports for men in conflict with the law to find jobs.

Jim: The John Howard Society helped me refresh my skills, build on basic skills I already had, meanwhile understand I’m recently released from an institution, and the problems I’ll face. JHS has worked with a lot of people. That allows them to make the connections, and give hope….examples of people who made a success, and connect them to those who are newly released. (Tells story of a previous convict who hired him from the half way house, and saw his experience in prison as a good reference – that he “worked his ass off for $6.50 per day” would therefore work really hard for $10/hour). That’s what JHS does – get calls from previous members, offering to help, and JHS makes connection with current people leaving prison.

As will be mentioned in other sections, having a place where people who know they are different, can feel accepted and safe is crucial to them being able to develop their strengths and capacities effectively and efficiently. Jennifer described why she feels a specialized agency helped her be comfortable in her job search.

Jennifer: ...they are also really tolerant of people like me – laughter – if I have a meltdown, they are tolerant of me. I don’t mean a tantrum, just if I have an emotional collapse they understand.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS IDEALLY SEEK FROM EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

We asked participants what they thought would help in Employment Services agencies and what they would want in an ideal staff person. We frequently heard “I don’t know” as the answer. One participant said, “Key issue for participants were for counselors to see their needs geared to them as individuals and the service delivered based on those needs. They also wanted support with skilled workers to help them deal with their barriers/challenges. They wanted acceptance and support, but they also recognized they needed a ‘reality check’: someone who took time to develop a trusting relationship that would allow them to hear that they may have unrealistic aspirations.”

Lynne: We need someone to not let us take the fanciful pathway.

Participants wanted employment services that have:

1.  A staff person to help them find jobs that were realistic, accommodate their special needs, but that also used their education, training and skills.

2.  A staff person to give directions, be a gatekeeper, offer reassurance when things got rough, help the participant think clearly about their goals.

3.  A staff person to be available throughout the job seeking process, to be able to follow up after initial offering of skills development.

4.  A staff person to support clients before, during and after job interviews, on an ‘as needed’ basis.

5.  A staff person to help negotiate with an employer the specifics of how to deal with needs for special support on the job.

6.  A staff person to be available after a job has started, to reduce isolation and help problem solve as issues arise: with no time limit for contacting the staff person for crisis intervention.

7.  Information on how to network, where to get info, present yourself

8.  Opportunities available to meet/greet and network with others in similar situations

9.  Support above the entry level information currently available

10.  Specialized and staffed centers.

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OTHERS                                                 

We spoke to those engaged in employment services and employers: and, as researchers, we aggregated recommendations that led us to identify specific kinds of support that could address some of the barriers identified by participants. Some of the recommendations are similar to those identified by participants, but we felt it important to keep the origin of the recommendations separate to enable the participants’ voices to be heard clearly.

We did not speak to many participants who had been involved with the vocational services offered (see the secondary list in the introduction) – those that help job seekers learn basic skills. We visited some sites, and we would agree that there likely is a need for such centers. The one participant we spoke to who had attended such a centre indicated that he found the training he received benefitted him in his life, even though he did not obtain regular employment. We understand that these centers usually do not have a cost to participate, but often have restricted mandates for the people they serve, such as those from targeted populations, and often require full-time attendance for considerable time. If the potential client was not a social assistance recipient, or needed to support themselves by working at least some time, it was not clear how one could attend the programs. Some require a commitment of over six months’ duration.

Suggestions made regarding the kinds of supports needed through Employment Services were:

1.  Organize clients’ vocational plans to move from short term to long term goals

2.  Be available to support clients on an ‘as needed ‘basis – to make phone calls the night before an interview, to listen and reflect back concerns as they developed in the job search process.

3.  Develop a list of clients’ strengths and skills that come from their dealing with challenges and changes

4.  Learn about the issues relevant to a wide range of conditions that require support on the job. Examples are learning about people with a brain injury, autism, hearing impairments, environmental illness, etc.

5.  Find the right job that fits both the strengths and special needs of the individual

6.  Help families and significant others learn to see the assets Discouraged Job Seeker have

7.  Help deal with the fears that come from the changes of going from non-worker to employee.

8.  Willing to identify reasonable job readiness activities. Some participants voiced anger at being expected to partake in job readiness activities that appeared reasonable. Respectfully enabling participants to come to an understanding of the appropriateness of these expectations would be important in maintaining a successful path towards employment.

9.  Offer support for creative ventures to be able to shift to developing entrepreneurial options, or give direction for such.

10.  Remove barriers to accessing vocational services such as the Work Activity Center and the other specialized vocational programs named in the Introduction. There is no cost and some give a small daily stipend. However, if the client is not on government assistance, the client must find a way to pay for their cost of living while enrolled in the programs. These costs need to be covered.

Currently it appears that Employment Services mandates tend to end when a job is obtained. However the participants we spoke to needed supports after the job to maintain it. Some specialized agencies seem to offer these supports but they were not available consistently.

11.  Assist negotiating unclear work expectations, especially for those with communication problems.

12.  Negotiate ‘fairness’ when asking for accommodation for special needs. Participants were unclear about asking for the accommodations they needed. They felt they were not ‘pulling their weight’ as an employee if they did so; consequently they didn’t ask.

13.  Identify processes to deal from difficulties on the job due to challenges and disabilities.

14.  Help navigate relationships on the job when issues arise.

Consultation across specializations and concurrent service delivery appear to be models that could help remove the silo effect of current agencies specializing in specific fields.

Consultation or ‘case conferences’ are an approach that might be effective to meet the need to offer one clear approach with people with multiple challenges and/or disabilities. They are used in other parts of social and health care delivery systems. All professionals involved with the person meet together and identify different roles to be filled at the same time, preferably with the client present. It is our understanding that although they do occur, formal case conferences with multiple agencies and the client attending are not common practice with Employment Services in Kings County.[11] The practices of referrals and case management as they do occur were not clearly communicated to the participants we spoke to.

Concurrent service deliveries, wherein two agencies share responsibility for supporting a client at the same time may help clients integrate the pieces of different services they need from different agencies. The policy that clients can only be seen by one agency at a time in a month seemed to inhibit them from easily building on different experiences. If job seekers could have an ongoing relationship with one staff person and access other services and connect frequently enough with the staff to put together the information, they might experience a more holistic approach for their needs.

Seeing two agencies close in time to each other could facilitate retention of the information. Sharing new skills with one key staff person could help clients integrate the information and more efficiently consolidate their plan to find employment.

Generally collaborative approaches that maintain the specialization of the different agencies but allow for sharing of knowledge and support of clients such as through consultations across specializations and concurrent service delivery are features that should be considered.

We were asked to speak to people who have given up looking for work. Although every participant identified as a Discouraged Job Seeker, the majority had recent contact with an Employment Service. We also spoke to a number who had never gone to employment services, or whose experience with Employment Services was outdated. They all had a hope that somehow they would find the’ right way’ to find a job. Support as identified as a service of a current employment service was often a key component of that vision. For those who had recent involvement with an employment service, the resolution of a significant number of barriers was found. The overarching obstacles were lack of communication about the service to the participants and lack of interagency collaboration observable to participants. This apparent lack of collaboration made it difficult to access the correct service.

For those who have not had recent involvement in employment services an approach needs to be developed to restore their confidence in Employment Services to enable them to return to a service with confidence.

Consideration needs to be given to developing expertise in working with people with multiple challenges and/or disabilities. A model needs to be developed of service delivery which incorporates concurrent and collaborative services while using a holistic approach.

There is a need for a broad continuum of services, and flexibility in utilizing the appropriate service. Eligibility criteria, access to specialized services and programs for everyone including those who are not in the targeted groups needs to be expanded. We make more specific recommendations regarding what is needed in the continuum in our General and Specific Recommendations sections.

One of the most rewarding parts of the Pathways to Work Research Project was having our participants share with us their successes past and present. Of particular note was Jennifer’s move from Discouraged Job Seeker to securing a part-time position.

Jennifer has a variety of challenges and conditions which limit her ability to look for and maintain employment (Asperger, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and a number of other physical and mental challenges). To add to this list of barriers she is also the primary care giver for her elderly mother, both are on fixed incomes and they live in a rural part of Kings County. The two of them are also relatively new to the area (2 years) and were having difficulty making connections in their community because of their location and their income (which limited how often and how far they could travel and what activities they could participate in). Jennifer had during their time in Kings County sought out employment in a variety of ways: online, newspaper and in final desperation “cold calling” employers. She had not been offered a single interview in the two years since they moved to Kings County. At the time we met her she had been active with an Employment Service provider.

We conducted two in-depth interviews with Jennifer, one at the end of July and the second at the end of August of 2010. In the first it was clear that she was a Discouraged Job Seeker and saw very little hope in obtaining employment.

In our first interview Jennifer discussed her interest in pursuing knowledge based on science and the natural world. She had been encouraged to receive training in graphic arts but this left her feeling poorly.

Jennifer: So I followed a path that was…. imagine wearing shoes that don't quite fit but never changing them, that's what it was like.

In pursuit of her interest in natural science she began volunteering at Acadia University in this area of study.

Jennifer: That's why I volunteer at Acadia. It’s really intellectually stimulating I don’t have the qualifications to be a botanist. At least close to what I want to be doing.

Being active at what she was interested in and not being as isolated as she had been previously she decided to again attempt to gain entry to the labor market. Based on her past experience she decided to use a different Employment Service provider than she had previously. She was impressed by the way in which the new service helped her and how they would assist her throughout the job search process.

Jennifer: They (employment services workers) also are hand holders – they will go with you to the interview, they’ll set up the employer to be prepared for my barriers, and all that. And I don't care what anyone says I think that's awesome. I don't have any pride. (laughs) Pride is for suckers. I'm not going to squander my chances and say “I don't need my handheld” because I totally do. That’s the only way to get people like me a modicum of success.

The above quote was taken from the first interview we had with Jennifer in July of 2010, at the end of that initial interview Jennifer and the interviewer had decided that another interview would be valuable for both people. She spoke openly about how helpful it was just to have someone listen to her concerns and to not feel pressured to perform. Scheduling conflicts and a few missed emails meant that we could not have our second interview until nearly a month later. In the August interview she opened the interview with:

Jennifer: Where I volunteer (Acadia University) they (employment support workers) are looking to get me a part-time job. Like a government grant...

The interviewer congratulated Jennifer on this step towards getting a job. Jennifer seemed apprehensive about the process and expressed some fear about actually getting paid work in what she was interested in despite being the person to initiate the idea of employment at her volunteer position.

Jennifer: Oh okay. I went to the Employment Services Agency and talked to them and said I would really love to work there (Acadia University). And they said “We’ll try to see if we can get a grant so you can work there”.

Jennifer’s apparent fear about possibly getting a paid position at a place she enjoyed volunteering confused the interviewer who asked her to elaborate on this.

Jennifer: Yeah that would be really good but I am very terrified once money is involved. I am scared that I will make mistakes because I have been fired before. Like when you are a volunteer typically they love you because they are getting free help...

In further discussion Jennifer revealed that losing her last job had been a very traumatic experience. That that experience had caused her to be wary of work despite really wanting and needing to secure employment. While losing her last job had been at least partially her fault there had been a number of extenuating circumstances that had led to her being fired. However, she blamed herself for what she saw as a personal failure rather than a series of poorly timed and managed events. After much discussion Jennifer’s attitude towards the job prospect changed and she began to speak positively about her time with the employment service.

Jennifer: Well right now this is the best help that I have ever had……. I love them. This time they listened to what I said. I said I wanted to try to get a job that has to do with being at the University or the college or something along those lines. And the next things I know I am coming in for my little appointment and they are like “guess what? I talked to your supervisor at Acadia and what do you think of that?” Wooow! For the first time ever they actually listened to what I said and I think that’s just fantastic.

A central part of our research process was to provide all participants with a summary of their interview, which highlighted major points about them, their barriers to employment, suggestions for addressing those barriers and if applicable examples of any quotations from them that we would use in the report. When we contacted Jennifer to provide her with her summary we asked about how the possible part-time job had turned out. She had gotten the grant money and was currently working at the place she had previously volunteered. She spoke about how her fears had been unnecessary and that the transition from volunteer to a paid position had been relatively painless. Her work had remained the same as what she had done as a volunteer, her hours were exactly as she had wished for: 2-3 days a week for a maximum of 15 hours a week and most importantly to her the fact that money was involved had not changed her relationship with her supervisor. The work hours she kept were determined by getting a series of specific tasks done rather than having to be at work for a set number of hours. This arrangement had been negotiated with the aid of the Employment Services staff.

Jennifer went through a series of situations that had brought her from Discouraged Job Seeker to gaining employment in something she was truly passionate about. Being listened to, being able to discuss openly her challenges, allowed her to not feel isolated. A helpful staff person provided flexible and empathetic support. These factors allowed her to feel more confident, to recognize her barriers, and move through them to a goal that, when we first interviewed her, she felt was not even possible.