2-1-1 Helps Callers find Job Training and Employment Help

Guest Blogger: Corey Mosesly, Director, Family Stability Initiatives, United Way of Pierce County

Every day hundreds of people from across the South Sound region turn to 2-1-1 for information and support--whether financial, domestic, health or disaster. 2-1-1 is a free, confidential referral and information service that connects people from local communities to a specialist who will help find critical health and human services. But, 2-1-1 also connects individuals to programs and services that will help them gain greater financial stability to help reach longer term goals. 

Today, one call to United Way's South Sound 2-1-1, connects people to a resource specialist who can help find career training programs or employment services that best fits caller’s needs.

Over the past decade, service jobs requiring a high school education or less, pay below $20 per hour and unfortunately far exceed the availability of higher-wage jobs. In fact, more than half of all jobs in the Pacific Northwest pay less than $20 per hour, which makes it nearly impossible for most families to gain financial stability.

However, there are many opportunities that require occupational certifications, apprenticeship, or a degree, that are in reach, which will lead to higher paying jobs and opportunities to transition to a new field. While Pierce County employers are looking to hire skilled employees to fill new positions, there are challenges for both employers and workers:

1.     Engaging workers who are currently employed and encouraging them to grow skills;

2.     Navigating training programs and opportunities while working to get the education and credentials to move into better careers;

3.     Knowing where to start to increase financial stability--that’s where United Way of Pierce County comes in.

Last Year, United Way, in partnership with the Workforce Development Council, created an “Earn-ability Task Force” to develop strategies to increase earned income and financial stability for local families. A key finding revealed that short-term training programs that lead to family-wage jobs in high-demand sectors, were harder to find and many classes were often under-enrolled.

Leveraging our South Sound 2-1-1 Resource Center, we developed an online database of short-term training programs to help resource specialists, social service providers, employment coaches and clients navigate training opportunities that will lead to employment or higher earnings. We focused on training opportunities in local hiring sectors including healthcare, construction, information technology and advanced manufacturing. Services for employment-readiness and soft-skills classes were also among the resources included.

Now 2-1-1 callers can easily search for these training programs and talk with a live resource specialist who can also link them to housing, transportation, food and health during one call, or they have the option to address one need at a time. Each person sets his or her own pace. Take Sylvia who found herself out of work, hoping to find new employment but realizing she needed a little extra training, particularly office administrative training.

Sylvia talked to a 2-1-1 Specialist about her goals to increase stability in her life since she had been living paycheck to paycheck, constantly worrying about money. Sylvia contacted employment and job training resources, including on of the nearby Center for Strong Families. When 2-1-1 contacted Sylvia a few weeks later to see how her job search was going, Sylvia proudly reported that she had been offered a job at a law firm and would be earning around $17 an hour start. 

Sylvia shared, “I wish I would have known to call 2-1-1 sooner... I have wasted a lot of years because I didn’t know about this service. Now I tell everyone about 2-1-1 so that can get the help right away instead of waiting.”

There are thousands of people like Sylvia who want to work, but need the skills to earn more to become more self-sufficient --and reach bigger goals for themselves and their families. Today, we are able to more easily track the availability of workforce development programs and identify gaps in services. Over time, we will also track changes in the call volume for employment services and trends in client navigation.

If you or someone you know needs help, one call to 2-1-1 will link them to a resource specialist who can help find local resources that can change their lives. Visit the online database directly by http://www.win211.org/employment.

Employment Occupation Projections & Wages

If you are looking for careers that pay a family-wage, below are a few opportunities to consider that earn higher than entry median wages.