12/18/2009
Arbor Sponsors the Mega Job Expo in Maryland
12/07/2009
ResCare – New Deal in the UK
12/01/2009
2nd Arbor E&T Bake Sale raises $500 for SHARE
11/25/2009
Notification of Breach of Private Information
11/23/2009
Mon Valley Bridge Open House
11/20/2009
SuperJobs Seasonal Hiring
11/18/2009
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week 2009, Allen County
11/16/2009
Arbor Welcomes New Texas Regional Vice President
11/06/2009
A moment to honor our veterans
10/22/2009
Arbor Fights the Flu
10/16/2009
ResCare Comments on Indiana Governor’s Announcement
10/07/2009
In the News: Arbor and Green Guide Network
10/01/2009
Tremendous Project in Cincinnati
9/28/2009
Five Project Directors: Interview Five
9/22/2009
Five Project Directors: Interview Four
9/15/2009
Five Project Directors: Interview Three
9/15/2009
Arbor Sponsors Literacy Gala
9/08/2009
Five Project Directors: Interview Two
9/01/2009
Five Project Directors: Interview One
8/26/2009
Snohomish County Enlarges Dislocated Worker Program
8/20/2009
Pennsylvania Governor Visits Harrisburg Summer Youth Program
8/18/2009
Canoga Park Job and Resource Fair
8/13/2009
VIPs in SuperJobs Cincy
8/12/2009
U.S. Department of Labor’s 2009 United We Serve Initiative Begins
7/28/2009
An Innovative Summer Youth Project in Oregon
7/21/2009
Tulsa iJobs Program in Full Swing
7/20/2009
ARRA 2009
7/17/2009
Green Strategies Workgroup
7/15/2009
Green Jobs
7/6/2009
Arbor TANF Partnership in Nebraska Receiving Positive Feedback
7/1/2009
Arbor E&T is Thinking Green
Five Project Directors: Interview Two
By Jamie M. Barnes
This August, while working on another assignment, I was able to interview five of Arbor’s project directors (PDs) in four different programs. I learned so many interesting facts and had such a great time doing the research that I decided to share the fun with you.
JB: Thanks again for giving me some of your time today, Ms. Arbour! I know you’re busy so we’ll just jump right in…tell me about your management style - what would your employees say?
CA: They would say I’m an analytical manager who enjoys challenges and constantly pushes our group to attain goals.
JB: Okay, but that can’t really be all they’d say…
CA: No. (Laughs) I try to keep a sense of humor about day-to-day operations while maintaining seriousness about the outcome. I keep an open-door policy so that the staff always knows that they can come to me or the Operations Manager, or HR or their Center Manager if there is ever an issue. I feel it’s important to maintain that level of accountability, and that we all have the same end goal in mind for the customer, which is a successful outcome.
JB: When you took the PD job, were you worried? It’s such a big responsibility, even with your prior experience as the Manager of the largest Capital Area Center. Not only that, you were responsible for the Capital Area transition to Arbor leadership at the same time.
CA: Well, it was a little challenging initially. I was really excited about the opportunity, but as I looked at the opportunity I realized I would be responsible for the budget and for communicating all of the Board’s expectations down to the Career Center level, and I’d be serving as a liaison between Arbor and the Board. I knew there were some things I needed to work on and some new strategies that I needed to implement, because I was accustomed to working solely with the staff customer and external customers. I wouldn’t say that I was worried, but I knew there would be some new skills to build.
JB: So the transition went pretty well?
CA: Yes, Arbor provided Project Management Training pretty early on in my experience as a PD. I thought that was very helpful—there was a huge section on finance—and for operationally minded individuals, that finance training is necessary. I also learned how to apply certain aspects of the contract to the day-to-day activities to get the desired outcomes. And then just learned more about the Arbor and ResCare culture, which was helpful in bringing new staff on board to move forward with the new company. Because ResCare and Arbor have an honorable mission, I was able to share that with the staff, who were also in the middle of the transition to Arbor leadership, and that helped. It provided a level of comfort in knowing Arbor is a human services organization.
JB: What elements of the Arbor training and mission did you find most helpful for your staff during the transition?
CA: I implemented the Arbor Ten Commandments of Operations and the ResCare Way [Located in the PD Manual] almost immediately, sharing the ResCare vision with all of the front-line staff pretty early on. Regional Vice President Luis Macias came out to the Career Centers to introduce himself to the staff and talk about our mission and overall goals of the organization, and that was incredibly helpful for the staff in making that transition.
JB: And how are you measuring your success as a PD?
CA: I consider it a success that we have maintained a strong relationship with the local Workforce Board staff, and have maintained a strong core management team with little turnover.
JB: Looking for the short answer here; describe your program to someone who’s not in the human services field.
CA: Workforce Solutions Capital Area is the One-Stop shop for employers and job seekers in the Austin Area. Our services include levels of job search help, case management assistance and a wide variety of services to employers.
JB: Your Centers have a lot of services to offer. What is Capital Area doing with the current Stimulus Funding and Green Initiatives lately? Do you have any green programs going?
CA: We do, actually. Our Board has coordinated with Austin Community College to purchase some cohort classes, which are allowable under the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) funding. What we’ve done is we’ve purchased some classes - we’ve got Electrical Lineman Training, PV Solar Install Training, and Weatherization Training. Those are all new trainings that aren’t necessarily on our Eligible Training Providers List, but because of the ARRA flexibility, we are able to provide those now. We outreach and fund those classes and right now there are 15-20 individuals per class. At the same time the classes are happening, the Business Services Unit is outreaching employers so when they participants finish training they have jobs available.
JB: That’s a great program! Are those new jobs subsidized or internships?
CA: For the most part, the jobs we secure are not subsidized because the participants are fully trained and ready to work at the end of the program. The subsidy jobs are for participants who complete training and need to learn one aspect of the job, like specific software or a skill related only to that particular job, we’ll fund that.
JB: That’s one thing I’ve noticed about the ARRA programs, is that the participants are ready to step right into their new jobs and go to work after training.
CA: Right, it’s actually been pretty easy to find candidates who are interested, because it’s a basic skill-set that just needs tweaking in one area. Weatherization, for example, we have folks who have had years of experience doing home energy audits or the construction industry and they just need to add a few skills to bring it up to the green level.
JB: Do you have any other programs or information about your center that you’d like to share?
CA: I think it’s noteworthy that in Capital Area we serve and estimated 60 thousand visitors a month.
JB: Wow!
CA: We have counters on the doors of all three Centers, and before the economic crisis, we were counting about 40 thousand every month. It’s not a perfect measure, but we are able to track our estimated customer volume that way.
JB: That’s quite a jump in a relatively short period of time. Who typically walks into your Center seeking assistance?
CA: Some are employer representatives and program participants, and many are members of the general public in need of employment or skills building. In recent months we have seen an increase in job seekers laid off from various occupations, primarily related to the semiconductor industry.
JB: Austin does have a large number of businesses affected by the economic downturn. What is a typical day as a Project Director like?
CA: A typical day involves many conversations with managers and board staff related to policy changes, process improvements, customer successes and financial updates. Performance is also reviewed on a daily basis.
JB: Wow, short answer there. I know you stay incredibly busy to keep up with all of your responsibilities. Describe the most memorable day you’ve had lately.
CA: Given the current economy, every day has its’ own challenges. We recently hosted a job fair with 51 employers and 1,500 job seekers. The office was completely full. While the event was a success, it was a startling reminder of the economic concerns that we face as a nation.
JB: Things have been pretty bad, especially with all the lay offs and business closures. What helps you stay positive?
CA: I work with some fantastic people at both the Career Center and Board level. Knowing that we make an impact in the Austin community is rewarding.
JB: Do you have some “words of wisdom” you’d like to share?
CA: I find this quote by Dale Carnegie to be helpful: ”Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.”
JB: I like that - a reminder to set achievable goals and enjoy success. Is there anything else you’d like to share?
CA: My husband and I are anxiously awaiting the birth of our first child in November. It’s a girl!
