Site visit employer protocol

Site visit employer protocol 4 of 4

^{Protocol for Employer}s in The Youth ChalleNGe and Job ChalleNGe Implementation Study

Background/Local Context

Local Economic Context and Labor Market Conditions

• Please describe your company.

• Where are you located?

• What do you produce/what services do you provide?

• How long have you been in business?

• How many employees do you have?

• What types of individuals do you typically hire (e.g., age, education level, training, etc)?

• Describe the labor market conditions in your area.

• What are the main industries/occupations?

• Who are the biggest employers for youth?

• Are there sufficient skilled employees in your area? If not, why not?

Organizational and Administrative Structure

Partnership Information

[Note to site visitor: Confirm the information in the following table based on information provided by the grantee prior to the visit.]

Name	Org Type	Role	Agreement Type	Program	Length of Partnership
CC Construction	Employer	Hires Youth/Serves on Advisory Committee	Volunteer (advisory)/ Contractual (OJT for hiring)	YC/JC	4 years (YC); 3 mo (JC)

• Describe your partnership with the Youth and Job ChalleNGe programs.

• How did you first get involved with Youth and/or Job ChalleNGe? What motivated you to work with the program(s)? What keeps you involved?

• Describe the communication that occurs between you/your company and Youth/Job ChalleNGe program staff? What is the nature of the communication? How often do you and program staff meet?

• What type of formal agreement, if any, do you have with the program (e.g., MOU, contract, etc.)? What does this agreement cover?

• What about your partnership is successful? Why?

• What about your partnership is challenging? Why?

Program Leadership

• Have you been involved in the design and/or implementation of the Youth ChalleNGe program? The Job ChalleNGe program? If so, please describe your role.

• Have you served in an advisory capacity for the program (e.g., on a board or advisory group)? If yes, please describe this group.

• Was this for the Youth ChalleNGe program, the Job ChalleNGe program or both programs?

• How often does this group meet? What issues does it consider?

• What have you gained from the experience? What has the program learned from you or your company?

Training and Coordination

• What experience does your company have in working with and/or hiring youth like Youth/Job ChalleNGe participants? What about court-involved youth?

• What training or information, if any, has the Youth/Job ChalleNGe programs provided to you or your company around working with this population?

• What additional training have you or your company participated in to prepare for working with Youth or Job ChalleNGe participants?

Recruitment and Enrollment

Recruitment and Outreach

• Does your company play a role in program recruitment? If so, describe that role.

• What is the process by which your company refers or identifies youth?

• What works well about this process? What challenges, if any, has your company experienced in working with the Youth/Job ChalleNGe around recruitment?

Job ChalleNGe Program Elements

Work Readiness Training

• Do the youth you work with in employment settings appear to be work ready? Which of their skills impress you? Where could they use additional help?

• Are you involved in providing or supporting the work readiness training for Job ChalleNGe? If so, describe the services you provide. [Obtain a copy of any training topics if available.]

• Do you play an advisory role (e.g., planning curriculum and training)? If so, was this in planning or do you have an ongoing role? If ongoing, what is your level of commitment?

• Are you an instructor or do you plan an active role in delivering coursework? If so, please describe your role? On which specific topics do you provide instruction? How many hours do you commit?

• Which staff do you work with in providing work readiness training?

Work-based Learning and Exposure to the World of Work

• Does your company provide work experiences for participants? If so, please describe.

• What types of work experiences does your company provide (e.g., job shadowing, on-the-job training, internships, apprenticeships, etc.)?

• How long does the work experience last (number of weeks, total hours)? How many days per week? How many hours per day? Do participants work during or outside of standard business hours?

• How are youth matched to the positions you offer?

• Are participants paid? If so, how much? Who provides the salary?

• What types of activities do participants do in their positions?

• For apprenticeships, to whom are students apprenticed? Is it a registered apprenticeship (connected to a union or trade group) or a pre-apprenticeship?

• How do you assess progress on the job? Who provides that assessment? How do you communicate this with program staff?

• Describe how the program supports youth during their work experiences.

• What specific supports do you think Job ChalleNGe participants need to succeed in their work experience?

• To what extent is the Youth/Job ChalleNGe program able to provide these supports?

• What challenges have you or your company encountered, if any, to offering work experience opportunities (e.g., union rules, licensing requirements, other labor laws involving youth workers)?

• Which parts of the work experience are more difficult for participants? Why?

• What accommodations, if any, have you or your company needed to make around court-involved youth for the work experience you provide?

Post-Residential Programming

[Confirm whether the employer provides permanent employment to participants post-program. If so, please ask the following questions.]

Placement-Related Assessments

• Do participants need to complete certain assessments or achieve certain scores to be qualified for positions with your company? If so, what assessments and/or what scores? Is it different for Youth or Job ChalleNGe participants?

• What is the current process for ensuring participants complete these assessments and providing the scores to you? How well does this process work?

Employment placement services

• Describe how post-residential employment placement services are structured.

• Which placement staff members do you work with to hire youth? How often do you meet with them? How would you describe your relationship with these program staff?

• When in the program cycle do you begin to work with these staff? When do you meet with potential hires?

• What role do these staff play in helping you hire youth (e.g., application screening, pre-interviewing)?

• What assistance does the program provide to participants upon being hired (e.g., transportation, supplies needed for work, etc.)?

• Have you been involved with hiring both Youth and Job ChalleNGe participants? If so, describe any differences in working with the two programs.

• Describe your experience in hiring Youth or Job ChalleNGe graduates.

• How satisfied have you been with hires from the program? Do they have the skills necessary for the job?

• What could the Youth or Job ChalleNGe programs do better to prepare youth for employment?

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

Participant Outcomes

• Describe how the Youth/Job ChalleNGe programs track and manage participant outcomes during employment. What data must you provide to the program on participant outcomes (e.g., wages, continued employment)? At what intervals do you provide this information?

• Describe some positive outcomes for youth.

• What are the main ways Youth ChalleNGe helps participants?

• What are the main ways Job ChalleNGe helps participants?

• What are the main ways both programs help court-involved youth?

• What particular benefits does Youth ChalleNGe and/or Job ChalleNGe provide to participants that other similar programs do not?

• Describe one or two success stories in working with youth.

Overall Implementation of Job ChalleNGe

• What have been the grantee’s biggest accomplishments in implementing the Job ChalleNGe program when it comes to working with employers?

• What have been some of the grantee’s biggest challenges in implementing the Job ChalleNGe program when it comes to working with employers?

Sustainability of Job ChalleNGe/Additional Court-Involved Youth

• Describe the reputation of the Youth ChalleNGe program in the state/local area. How has this reputation changed with the implementation of Job ChalleNGe?

• In what ways might the Job ChalleNGe program need to be modified to be sustainable?