Click@WorkOne

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Click at WorkOne - Continuous Learning In Computer Knowledge at WorkOne is a Just in Time resource to assist Economic Growth Region 6 (EGR6) to address some of its identified needs. Eastern Indiana Regional Workforce Board (EIRWB) through its Strategic Skills Initiative Research and Identification (November 2005) and Strategic Plan (February 2006) has continued to cite the need for the increase of computer skills of our working adult population as a need. Excerpts from both follow with the full reports available on the http://www.eiegr.org/ website as downloads.

The EGR6 SSI Skills Shortage ID identified the following,

"In addition to the skills specific to the occupations and industries identified by this report, the team uncovered several cross-cutting skill shortages during community forums. These results include communications, reading comprehension, computer literacy, mathematics and science, problem solving, leadership, and work ethics. While this list is not exhaustive of the skill shortages expressed in all counties, these shortages appear to the most problematic to companies in Eastern Indiana. Many of these skills are identified by sources such as O*NET and WorkKeys, and are skills relevant to many occupations in many industries. In speaking with community members, it became clear that while these skill shortages are problematic to the region now, the long-term impact is more severe."¹

The report goes on to identify that "The increased dependency on computers in today's businesses creates a new skill demand for the workforce in the area of computer literacy. Nearly all positions require computer interaction on some level, from basic grocery sales to report writing to computer programming, and employers in this region are increasingly finding many potential employees do not have basic computer skills. Computer literacy, or familiarization with personal computers, is not explicitly identified by O*NET or WorkKeys as a skill but likely fits into the Technical Skills category within O*NET."²

Within the Board's Strategic Plan in response to "What are the job skills necessary to obtain the employment opportunities especially high demand, high wage opportunities?" The number one skill listed was computer use and out of the list of 14 skills, 4 were related to computers.³

In addition, in response to the question, "Are there pilot projects that the RWB would like to operate?" one proposed pilot project identified in the Strategic Plan follows:

UI Modernization Transition Project - EGR 6, according to IBRC based upon Bureau of Labor Statistics data, leads the regions of the state in job loss by a substantial margin. Since February 1, 2007 the region has experienced two additional major plant closures (Visteon and Borg Warner) which will result in excess of 1,700 additional jobs lost in the region. With the implementation of the UI Modernization Project these and other laid off workers are expected to apply for their UI benefits on-line. One of the skill gaps of the existing workforce of the region is the ability to use a computer and Internet - a skill that has been identified as a basic skill for all workers in EGR 6. Many households, as well as areas of the region, do not have Internet access, making on-line application for UI benefits and on-line job search difficult at best. The EIRWB has WorkOne offices located in every county except Union County. Each of these offices has fully equipped computer labs which have Internet access. With Unemployment Insurance as a mandatory partner under the Workforce Investment Act the EIRWB would like to partner with the DWD to offer workshops on a scheduled basis to assist laid off workers in filing for unemployment compensation while learning Internet and keyboarding skills.⁴

The interest and need for this Digital Literacy Project, to be marketed as "CLICK@WorkOne" is evident from this research and planning documentation making it a perfect fit for Eastern Indiana. Following is a description of how we intend to develop, implement and sustain this project with the utilization of this seed funding.

Every day customers enter our WorkOne offices who do not have the capability of utilizing computers. This is because many of our adult working population do not personally own a computer or know how to navigate the Internet and do not use the computer as a part of their every day job. This is a huge hurdle in our WorkOne system since many customer activities begin by utilizing the computer for job search, applying for unemployment insurance benefits and conducting skill assessments. Studies have shown that workers who use computers on the job receive higher wages, reflecting both computer specific and broader skills. The CLICK@WorkOne pilot will allow customers to gain digital literacy skills and at the same time complete their employment and training objectives such as applying for a position on-line or completing a PELL application on-line for training funds. Additionally the pilot will allow staff to be able to have a product they can offer to customers who need help in the area of digital literacy. This pilot is designed to complement Region 6 Integration through the development and delivery of value added products which helps fulfill the goals to assist customers identify their skills, develop their skills and use their skills to gain employment.

Integrating computer skills with employment and training services is a "win-win" for the customer and the region. Customers are completing needed employment and training tasks while learning computer skills therefore the region is also increasing the level of skills of the workforce. Computer skills should not be taught in isolation. Separate computer classes do not really help customers learn to apply computer skills in meaningful ways. There is increasing recognition that the end result of digital literacy is not just on how to operate computers, but how to use technology as a tool for organization, communication, research, and problem solving. This is an important shift in approach and emphasis.

Economic Growth Region 6's CLICK@WorkOne digital literacy training pilot will consist of both the workshop and on-demand components of the digital literacy training. This will allow greater flexibility in response to the customer's needs. Along with the flexibility of the type of learning environment will be the added feature of contextual learning. Customers, while learning computer skills, will be applying them to their specific employment and training needs. An example might be a customer completing their unemployment insurance benefits application while practicing their newly acquired mouse and keyboarding skills.

¹ EGR 6 Strategic Skills Initiative Skills Shortage ID, November 2005, page 4.

² EGR 6 Strategic Skills Initiative Skills Shortage ID, November 2005, pages 32-34.

³EGR 6 - Eastern Indiana Regional Workforce Board - Local Plan - PY2006 and PY2007 - Page 38, Table 9