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January 24, 2006
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News
Coordination
COLLEGE, ONE-STOP STAFFS HALT REFERRALS, SEE PHILOSOPHY RIFT
by David Altstadt
Copyright © 2005 by MII Publications Inc.
Reprinted with permission from the Employment & Training Reporter , November 28, 2005, p. 297
A six-state, four-year study reveals anecdotal evidence of discord between some one-stop career centers and community colleges over the role training programs should play in workforce development strategies.
In interviews conducted by university researchers, some one-stop personnel said they are discouraged from referring WIA clients to training programs because of implicit work-first and creaming philosophies at their career centers. Other one-stop staffers said they resist referring clients to community colleges because they believe the schools do a poor job of training.
As a result, community college officials said they are seeing fewer training clients and have begrudgingly pulled back on some programs.
Sighs and Whispers
Although many of the concerns raised do not break new ground in the debate over training, the team of education and sociology researchers took a unique approach to the topic by basing their study on informal conversations with one-stop staffers and college officials.
They visited one-stops and community colleges in Massachusetts , Illinois , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , Washington and Florida between 2001 and 2005, in the process gleaning candid remarks not typically disclosed to interviewers.
MII has obtained a copy of the material, some of which appears in the forthcoming book Putting Poor People to Work: How the Work-First Ideology Eroded College Access for the Poor. MII, however, cannot verify the accuracy of the statements because sources were granted anonymity.
Research and interviews were carried out by Kathleen Shaw, associate professor of urban education at Temple University; Sara Goldrick-Rab, assistant professor of educational policy studies and sociology at the University of Wisconsin ; Christopher Mazzeo, a consultant based in New York City ; and Jerry Jacobs, sociology professor at the University of Pennsylvania .
Goldrick-Rab told MII that in their interviews with one-stop officials the authors found a pattern of resistance to referring people to training programs, particularly those offered by community colleges.
Several one-stop officials offered unfavorable opinions of community colleges´ training programs.
A one-stop official in Florida flatly told Goldrick-Rab that “community colleges do not do a good job training people.”
A community college official in the state appeared to confirm a reverse bias against training programs. The official explained that enrollment of WIA clients has dropped on campus because “a lot of one-stop centers are bypassing us.”
Goldrick-Rab said some caseworkers do not believe additional schooling is worthwhile because they themselves have attained only low levels of education.
In other cases, one-stop officials expressed frustration in working with community colleges because their mission of higher education is not in line with the short-term training objectives in WIA.
“Any job training group you go into around the state [will] tell you our most difficult [training] partner has been the community college,” the official said. “Of all the partners I have, the [local community college] is the most territorial of any of them [in terms of] their policies and what they will do and won´t do. If we come up with a new idea and create something, they´ll create their own rather than utilize ours.”
The official added, “people want training that prepares them to go to work, and at the moment we´re not getting that from the community colleges.”
Community college officials, however, argued that WIA performance requirements conflict with the educational mission and identity of their schools.
Not in the Business
A career counselor at a Massachusetts community college told researchers that they are not in “the business of job placement.”
“I want to be accountable for how I choose to work with students and the quality of the services that I offer, the amount of outreach I do, the way I try and attract students, and the follow-through I offer individuals, students and faculty. I don´t want to be accountable for placing bodies in jobs. We´re not a job placement factory,” the counselor said.
The researchers also found evidence of one-stops limiting access to training programs altogether. A major reason, Goldrick-Rab said, is that some one-stop officials have interpreted the tiered approach to services under WIA as heavily emphasizing “work first.”
A one-stop employee in Illinois told the researchers it had been stated at meetings that “nobody is ever going to get to training because everybody is going to get a job in core or intensive.”
Because of one-stop employees´ embrace of the work-first approach, the researchers report, a community college in the one-stop´s local workforce area experienced a large decline in the number of clients served after the transition from the Job Training Partnership Act to WIA.
“We had a very small number of folks that came through WIA,” said an instructor at the college´s truck driver training program. “I was interviewing people every day that were qualified. But they would send them; they would not fund them.”
The researchers report that few individuals in Illinois received individual training accounts during the initial years of WIA. According to some Chicago advocates, access to ITAs is still a problem today.
In Philadelphia , the work-first approach has restricted the ability of one community college to provide training to low-income adults.
Not Enough Money
“We´ve kind of transitioned into new and different things, not by choice so much as [because] we had to,” said a college administrator. “Money was not there anymore to support the programs. As a matter of fact, there was a year or two where we weren´t even allowed to do job training.”
The official added that although things have improved in the last three years, “training has been kind of left in the dust.”
In other cases, one-stops have a spotty record of referring individuals to training because of high turnover in caseworkers, the researchers found.
A one-stop official said the center lacks a “consistent referral mechanism” for training programs because caseworkers leave before they can be fully taught the system.
“Everyone has dollars to do training but people are not being referred to training or education as much as I think they could or not at all,” the official said. “I think communication [between one-stop staff] is one of the most difficult things.”
In addition, the researchers found that some one-stop visitors are never eligible for training because caseworkers do not formally enroll them in the reporting system. Several caseworkers explained that they are under steady pressure to meet performance outcomes so they focus on placing the easiest clients, a strategy known as “creaming.”
A caseworker in Rhode Island acknowledged that “the fewer [low-literacy] people I have to deal with, the more I am ensuring that my performance will be in the higher level, the more acceptable level.”
A Florida caseworker elaborated on the pressure one-stops were under by the state to improve performance outcomes.
“The emphasis is placement, and we are supposed to register in the database only ... serious jobseekers. We´re supposed to place one out of three people. So if you´re entering too many into the system and you don´t place all of them, your numbers don´t look great,” the caseworker said.
The forthcoming book is expected to be published this summer by the Russell Sage Foundation.
Copyright © 2005 by MII Publications Inc. Top
Entry-Level Truck Driver Training Requirements Passes through California State Senate
An important piece of state legislation passed the California Senate's Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee and was forwarded to the Appropriations Committee on January 10 th .
In 2005, the California Bureau of Private Post Secondary Education shut down 27 unapproved truck driver training schools. Working together with State senator, Jackie Speier, Commercial Vehicle Training Association's California members developed a bill that addresses a number of concerns, including the operation of schools that are not approved by the State.
The bill, known as SB- 924 establishes a minimum number of hours of classroom and behind-the-wheel training a truck driving school. The bill also requires schools to provide a clear and unambiguous rate schedule for training, and prohibits the advertisement of “free” or “no cost” training when the student must meet a minimum employment requirement.
The exact language of the final bill will be tweaked, and it now moves to the California State Senate Appropriations Committee, to see a copy of SB-924, click here. Top
Do You Know the Importance of Positive Reinforcement?
We all love positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is any action that encourages someone to behave in a desired way. It also gives the person a feeling of self-confidence. In using positive reinforcement with others it is important that it is sincere and that it be given as soon as possible after the action. The following lists suggest some of the positive reinforcements that you may want to use when working with others. This is a simple and cost effective way to let drivers know they are valued.
The following are some spoken words you could use as positive reinforcement:
Yes
Good
Wonderful
Nice
Okay
Great |
Correct
Excellent
Perfect
Beautiful
Exciting
Fine |
Right
Terrific
Continue
Remarkable
Exactly
Super |
The following are some spoken phrases of approval you could use:
Fine answer.
Go ahead.
All right.
Of course.
That's true.
How true.
A good way of putting it.
Keep going.
Good thinking.
Good response.
Right on! |
That's clever.
That's interesting.
You perform very well.
I'm pleased.
Thank you.
That shows thought.
Very well done.
Well thought out.
You're doing better.
You are improving.
That is the best yet. |
The following are some nonverbal expressions of approval you could use:
Looking at the person
Smiling
Nodding
Grinning
Raising eyebrows
Laughing happily
Shaking the learner's hand
Clapping hands
Signaling okay
Thumbs up
Circling hand through air to encourage the learner to continue
Patting the learner on the back
Moving toward the learner to talk to him
Other actions you can take to show your approval include the following:
Asking the learner to show what he is doing
Asking the learner to explain something to others
Using the learner as a model of correct performance
Asking the learner to participate in a demonstration
Giving the learner free time
Awarding the learner points toward a reward
To summarize:
A positive reinforcer is something that increases the probability of the behavior being repeated. It is usually something the learner likes or wants.
Positive reinforcement must follow the desired behavior, not precede it.
For more information on the Daily Dispatch Challenge Training Guide (ISBN 1-4018-3227-X, $24.95 List) or CD-ROM (1-4018-5498-2, $495 List), please contact Brian McGrath at Thomson Delmar Learning, 1-800-998-7498 x4850, brian.mcgrath@thomson.com. Top
Changes to Requirements for CDL “S” Endorsement Released
On Wednesday, January 18, 2006, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a final rule implementing section 4140 of SAFETEA-LU. The regulations specify that:
• A driver who passed FMCSA-approved knowledge and skills tests for a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) school bus endorsement before September 30, 2002, has met the requirements for a school bus endorsement;
• the compliance date for States to administer knowledge and skills tests to all school bus drivers is extended to September 30, 2006;
• and the expiration date for allowing States to waive the driving skills test is also extended to September 30, 2006.
In 1999, Congress passed the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act (MCSIA). Section 214 of MCSIA mandated FMCSA to create a new endorsement that CDL holders must obtain in order to operate a school bus. Consequently, FMSCA created an “S” endorsement and developed requirements that an applicant must satisfy before obtaining an “S” endorsement, including:
1) A driving skills test in a school bus;
2) Proper safety procedures for loading and unloading children;
3) Traversing highway rail grade crossing.
Due to recent changes in the law, revisions to the testing requirements for drivers of school buses became necessary. Thus, section 4140(a) eliminates the need for states to retest drivers who have passed agency-approved knowledge and skills test prior to September 30, 2002.
In addition, part (b) of 4140 gives the states an additional year to fully implement these regulations for all school bus drivers. Thus, the compliance date for all school bus drivers that have not been grandfathered is now September 30, 2006.
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President Bush To Nominate New NHTSA director
The Detroit News reported that Nicole Nason is getting the presidential nod to run the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Once nominated, Nason must be confirmed by the Senate. If confirmed, the 35 year-old assistant secretary of the Department of Transportation would succeed Jeffrey Runge who left Sept. 3, 2005, to become chief medical officer for the Department of Homeland Security.
Nason is a former assistant commissioner of congressional affairs with the U.S. Customs Service, and a former legal counsel for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.
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Trucking Given Fair Shake in The Kansas City Star
On Thursday, Jan. 19, The Kansas City Star published a front-page story titled “Trucks, cars share the road – and responsibility.” The story emphasizes the point that in most car-truck wrecks, the truck is not at fault.
The piece also mentions the Ticket Aggressive Cars and Trucks, or TACT, a pilot program started by the Washington State Patrol. In the program, patrol officers ride along in the cab with truckers, and radio ahead to a patrol car when they see a four-wheeler driving unsafely around the truck.
In a time when so many publications are eager to find fault with the industry we commend The Kansas City Star on giving trucking a fair shake.
To view the entire article please click here.
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Represent Truckload on America 's Road Team
The nomination process for the American Trucking Associations' 2007-08 America 's Road Team has begun.
Twelve professional truck drivers, all with an exemplary safety record and a commitment to educating the public about highway safety and spreading the word about the trucking industry's positive aspects, deliver the trucking industry's safety message to driver education classes, schools, business groups, safety organizations, the news media, regulatory agencies and the U.S. Congress.
They will also talk safety with their professional colleagues in driver meetings and at annual truck shows.
Scheduled Road Team events included appearances on the Elvis Channel on Sirius Satellite Radio. They will also be interviewed for, and featured on, national news programs and in national publications.
The team also appears at numerous state truck driving championships and at the ATA's National Truck Driving Championships.
Candidates must be full-time truck drivers, either company drivers or owner-operators. They must also have an outstanding safety record and be able to clearly communicate their commitment to safety and professionalism. The nominating company must be a full dues-paying ATA member.
The nomination deadline is Aug. 31. Semi-finalists will be announced in October at the 2006 ATA Management Conference and Exhibition in Dallas , Texas . Final judging will take place at ATA headquarters in Alexandria , Va. , Jan. 15-18, 2007. The official roster will be announced Jan. 19, 2007.
Volvo Trucks sponsors the team.
Application forms are available from America 's Road Team at 2200 Mill Road , Alexandria , Va. , 22314 , by fax request at (703) 684-5718, or by downloading from www.truckline.com .
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FMCSA hosts Meeting on Upcoming Project
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will host an industry capabilities meeting for an upcoming project entitled "The Motor Carrier Efficiency Study" on February 9, 2006, in Miami, FL. The purpose of the meeting is to gather input from the wireless and trucking industries on this congressionally directed effort.
Specifically, FMCSA seeks to obtain information relative to supply-chain management and wireless technology capabilities to improve the safety and productivity of motor carrier freight transportation including intermodal operations, cross-border movements, and points of freight interchange.
The Motor Carrier Efficiency Study, as specified in Section 5503 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) transportation authorization legislation, will address the following areas:
• Identification of inefficiencies in the transportation of freight;
• Evaluation of the safety, productivity, and increased cost savings that may be achieved through the use of wireless technologies to address the inefficiencies in the transportation of freight; and
• Conducting of field tests demonstrating how wireless technologies will improve inefficiencies.
Copies of the draft statements of work for the Motor Carrier Efficiency Study and a closely coordinated independent evaluation will be sent to registrants prior to the meeting. To register for the event and for more details, go to the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOps) Web site.
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OSHA Reminds Employers to Post Injury/Illness Summaries Beginning February 1
Beginning February 1, employers must post a summary of the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred last year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced today. Employers are only required to post the Summary (OSHA Form 300A) -- not the OSHA 300 Log -- from Feb.1 to Apr. 30, 2006.
The summary must list the total numbers of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2005 and were logged on the OSHA 300 form. Employment information about annual average number of employees and total hours worked during the calendar year is also required to assists in calculating incidence rates. Companies with no recordable injuries or illnesses in 2005 must post the form with zeros on the total line. All establishment summaries must be certified by a company executive.
The form is to be displayed in a common area wherever notices to employees are usually posted. Employers must make a copy of the summary available to employees who move from worksite to worksite, such as construction workers (and many truck drivers) and employees who do not report to any fixed establishment on a regular basis.
Employers with ten or fewer employees and employers in certain industry groups are normally exempt from federal OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping and posting requirements. A complete list of exempt industries in the retail, services, finance and real estate sectors is posted on OSHA's website, www.osha.gov.
Exempted employers may still be selected by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics to participate in an annual statistical survey. All employers covered by OSHA need to comply with safety and health standards and must report verbally within eight hours to the nearest OSHA office all accidents that result in one ore more fatalities or in the hospitalization of three or more employees.
Copies of the OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301 are available on the OSHA Recordkeeping Webpage in either Adobe PDF or Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet format.
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Popular Website Names Commercial Truck Driver One of 2006's Top Jobs
Kate Lorenz, the advice editor of CareerBuilder.com, named trucking 18th on the list of the 25 top jobs for 2006.
In Lorenz's article on truck driving she reported that commercial drivers average $34,920 a year. The entire article is available by visiting careerbuilder.com.
Previously truck driving was highlighted in Time Magazine for providing job security. More than 220,000 will be needed in this job sector by 2014.
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ATRI Seeks Teams to Demonstrate Mobile Idle Reduction Technologies
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released a request for proposals (RFP) seeking project teams to demonstrate and evaluate mobile idle reduction technologies on heavy-duty trucks, either installed as part of the truck manufacturing process or prior to the truck being placed in service. Project teams must consist of a trucking fleet, a truck manufacturer and an idle reduction technology vendor.
The anticipated outcomes for the project include:
- recommendations for integrating commercially-available idle reduction technologies into the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) truck manufacturing process;
- a comparison between the cost and, possibly, load requirements of integrated systems versus non-integrated systems; and
- collection and quantification of actual operational data leading to an assessment of fleet operator costs, benefits and payback period for selected idle reduction technologies.
Interested parties must submit proposals no later than 5:00 PM EST on March 1, 2006. A total of $350,000 is expected to be awarded. To obtain a copy of the RFP, visit www.ATRI-online.org .
This RFP is being funded as part of a $5 million grant program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay Transport Partnership to help promote technologies that save fuel while also reducing pollution. This funding comes at a critical time as the trucking industry spent an unprecedented $87.7 billion on fuel last year, marking a $21.8 billion increase over 2004. The idle reduction technologies demonstrated under this RFP are expected to save fuel and reduce pollution by providing mobile cab heating and cooling while the truck's main engine is turned off.
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