The Temple Cares Bridge to Employment program, hosted by the Temple University College of Education’s Intergenerational Center, is breaking new ground in their pathway to providing young Philadelphians with the skills they need to get ahead in the healthcare industry. Temple Cares is a workforce development program geared towards young adults in North Philadelphia ages 17-24 who are currently not in school or working. The organization gives participants useful tools to boost their career experience and land a job in positions like behavioral technicians, certified nurse aides, and medical office personnel. Through career training, supportive services, and paid internships, Temple Cares equips students with the knowledge, skill development, and experiences necessary to secure stable careers in the healthcare field. In addition, successful Temple Cares participants receive an industry-recognized credential which makes them competitive candidates in the job market. Once students are hired, they can work as a job coach to help mentor others who are looking to follow in their footsteps.

              Temple Cares has seen an exceptional amount of success because it places young adults directly on track for the career they are looking for. Dr. Patience Lehrman, Assistant Dean of Workforce Development at Temple’s College of Education and founder of Temple Cares, takes pride in the fact that there is now an organized way of connecting young adults to work opportunities in a place where there was little organization before. “I was particularly struck by the lack of a coordinated strategy in higher education to support the training and employment needs of under-served youth who are not college-bound,” she says. Dr. Lehrman mentions that the Temple Cares model has now been replicated across Temple University as well as other higher educational institutions in Philadelphia. Temple Cares’ accomplishments have shown that the combination of on-the-job experience, individualized support, and direct employer engagement is the recipe for success in workforce development. As Temple Cares demonstrates, this helps to break down significant barriers that often keep people from progressing in their careers.

While Temple Cares has found great success, what is most rewarding, says Dr. Lehrman, is the organization’s ability to empower young people— especially young adults who now have the resources and support they need to take charge of their destinies. In North Philadelphia specifically, individuals are given the chance to leverage their own skills, change their lives, and positively impact their families and communities. The program intends to mobilize a wider community of providers who are keenly focused on addressing the needs of North Philadelphia. They also plan to scale the program up and engage more young adults in the coming years. In this way, Temple Cares can deepen the collective impact they have on local neighborhoods, in hopes of moving more people from the community out of poverty and into more meaningful workforce opportunities.

LNPWI is a proud partner of Temple Cares and thanks them for their hard work in North Philadelphia. For more information about how to get involved with Temple Cares or to apply to one of their programs, please visit their website at https://education.temple.edu/templecares/.

The Temple University Center for Community Partnerships (TUCCP) is an organization dedicated to seeking out workforce development and employment opportunities for adults and  youth ages 17-24. Their youth programs are meant to help out those who have a high school diploma or GED equivalent but are disconnected from school or work. TUCCP’s programs collaborate with many community-based organizations in the North Philadelphia community. They help to provide training in fields such as customer service, employment resources, and technical support for residents. By enhancing youths’ foundational skills in the workforce, TUCCP helps to enrich people’s lives on both an individual and community level.

TUCCP offers support to youths through many programs that accept individuals with varying levels of education and experience. Some of these programs include the Youth Employment Project (YEP) and Employment Connections for Opportunity Youth (ECOY). The Youth Employment Project and Employment Connections for Opportunity Youth both focus on preparation for the workforce through various support services. This includes connecting young adults to paid internship opportunities, job readiness training, and gaining work certificates. For YEP, young adults must be 17-24 years old who have obtained their high school equivalency or diploma.  For ECOY, young adults must be foster care youth 17-24 years old who have or are aging out of care. They can be current high school seniors, seeking GED attainment, or have obtained their diploma/GED.

The Center for Community Partnership also has a third program called Work Ready. Work Ready does not have specific requirements like YEP and ECOY, as it works directly with youths 14-18 years old who may have limited experience or education. Work Ready is a summer program funded by the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN) that provides employment opportunities for young people to explore career interests and give back to their community before finishing high school.

Joel Culbreath, the Program Coordinator for ECOY, is dedicated to ensuring that all program participants find workforce success in the long term. “We reference the Sixers hashtag #TrustTheProcess to help young people buy into programming and develop goals, which look different for everyone,” he says. “Our program is another support system to help young people become their best self and share the lessons learned with their peers, family, and community.” The program teaches youths that success is something that takes time and effort to achieve. Culbreath says that the sense of accomplishment that participants feel after completing the program is always something to be celebrated amongst friends and family.

The work that TUCCP has done in tandem with LNPWI has been a great way to inform businesses, local organizations, and Philadelphia residents about the progress being made in their community. By bringing more of their work into the public eye, it is hoped that the number of people recruited into programs like YEP and ECOY will increase over the next year or so. TUCCP plans to continue bringing more workforce opportunities to young individuals wherever possible. This will create new pathways for individuals to enhance their skills and to meaningfully contribute to the workforce in the North Philadelphia community in the near future.

Welcome to the latest edition to our partner spotlights, where we share information and the work of our LNPWI Partners.

The Perinatal Community Health Worker Program (formerly the North Philadelphia Community Doula and Breastfeeding Program) at Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) is an innovative workforce development initiative that prepares participants to enter meaningful healthcare careers as Perinatal Community Health Workers (PCHW’s). This career pathway is important because PCHW’s provide vital support to child-birthing families in their own communities through outreach, health education, and supporting families preparing for childbirth and caring for a newborn. This training also benefits the participants because it allows them to enter a variety of career options in healthcare and social assistance–many of which pay a living wage and require a high school diploma and PCHW training. In addition to preparing individuals for PCHW careers, the PCHW Program at MCC supports childbearing families and reduces health disparities for communities of color by offering free education and information to families about their medical and reproductive rights and matching families with skilled PCHW’s.

Since the program started in 2013, Naima Black, Director of Community Doula & Breastfeeding Programs, said that MCC has been extremely successful in “increasing the birth worker workforce in communities that are experiencing the highest disparities, inequities, the highest rates of maternal mortality, and lowest breastfeeding rates,”. In 2019, MCC was able to expand its impact even further by partnering with the Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative (LNPWI). Through this partnership, MCC has been able to expand the PHCW Program training from 20 sessions to a 27-session model and can now offer participants $50 for every session they attend. In addition, their partnership with LNPWI has allowed MCC to begin working towards a long-time goal of incorporating “a racial and reproductive justice framework” into the training. 

Amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic, the PCHW Program has had to do a bit of a shift. Thankfully, their first cohort through the LNPWI partnership was able to complete their training in early February. However, as people are giving birth daily, the pandemic makes it harder for PCHW’s to meet face to face with families. “We just kind of shifted, and have offered several webinars to our network around how to provide virtual support over FaceTime or zoom or WhatsApp, so that we can still help families in the time of social distancing,” says Black. 

One effort the program staff are hopeful about is a petition to the Governor to implement an executive order (and potentially permanent legislation) that would provide temporary licensing for homebirth midwives, Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs). In Pennsylvania, midwives are currently not licensed, meaning insurance won’t cover them. Having this legislation would offer  new birth options for many families in North Philadelphia who currently cannot afford a home birth. 

The PCHW Program and Maternity Care Coalition have been leaders in changing the discussion around maternal health care, home birthing, and the disparities faced in areas such as North Philadelphia. They have made tremendous strides in pushing for sustainable employment, racial justice, and reproductive justice in the community, and LNPWI is proud to be a partner in this great work. Be sure to learn more about the great work MCC does on their website at maternitycarecoalition.org and on their Facebook and Instagram pages.

The first half of 2020 has been most eventful for all of us. In it, we’ve experienced a global pandemic, record numbers of deaths due to COVID19, unprecedented numbers of layoffs and unemployment, global quarantine, mandatory social distancing, school closures and distance learning at home, canceled commencements, peace rallies for social justice, riots over police misconduct and racism, the U.S. Census 2020, and a pivotal Primary Election season! The perfect storm of huge life impacting events.  Yet, through it all, we’re all persevering through such challenging times together.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “A riot is the voice of the unheard.”  Temple University’s Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative (LNPWI) team mourn the lives of martyrs that have become catalysts for positive dialogue and systemic institutional change.  Equality, respect, dignity, and justice are the foundational bedrock on which progressive civil societies are built.

The LNPWI team is committed to embracing and celebrating the strength and advantages that diversity breeds.  We honor the peacemakers and activists, employers and employees, native born citizens and immigrants, and political leaders and citizens of the republic – – all who are on the frontlines rallying, communicating and collaborating to make the quality of life better for all.

The sanctity of all life is precious indeed.  Dr. King said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” This is a question we all must be prepared to answer with resounding personal evidence of uplift, love, empowerment and goodwill towards others.

A wise ancient script declares that “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Our prayers are with the citizens and leaders of Philadelphia, our nation, and the global community, as we all attempt to navigate through the multiple layers of complicated challenges that have beset us all. 

Our universal challenge is to remain steadfast and unmovable in our convictions to exemplify all that is good, just and kind towards all – – regardless of age, ethnicity, culture, race, gender, religion, educational attainment, socio-economic strata, etc.  Our local and global communities deserves our very best ingenuity, enterprise, collaboration, performance and civility.  Nothing less is acceptable.

Sincerly,

The Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative Team

By: Hafeezat Bishi

In the summer of 2019, Esperanza’s Alivio Project was selected as a one of LNPWI’s 11 funded partner projects. The Alivio Project is a pilot program at Esperanza which aims to recruit low income mothers who have trouble retaining employment. Participants of the program are introduced to a new model of intensive, integrated workforce development while having access to mental health support and social support services.

Through LNPWI funding, the Alivio Project has held quarterly “Mom Mixers” to reach out to mothers in the North Philadelphia area. According to Mattingly Cohen, the program coordinator for the Alivio Project, the aim of the mixers is to “foster skill development for participants, while giving them the opportunity to engage in professional networking.” All Alivio Project participants are encouraged to attend the mixers, and the program coordinator is tasked with reaching out to them to share meeting information via phone call, text, email, and in-person communication. They have seen a high turn out with nearly 15 mothers, sometimes accompanied by their children, creating groups of 30-35 people. 

“Each Mom Mixer is held in the evening hours with free childcare, transportation, and meals provided in order to make the event accessible to all,” Cohen shares. The first one was held at Esperanza College of Eastern University, while the second mixer was co-hosted by Net Community Care. What made the second meeting extra special was the theme of “self-care,” which promoted strategies of self-empowerment, mental health and stress management, and navigating a work-life balance. 

Not only are “Mom Mixers” a chance for mothers to network, but they also serve as a place to create camaraderie amongst the Esperanza program participants. “We found that most participants appreciate the opportunity to engage in workforce development and job readiness training in a group setting,” Cohen explains. The evening starts with sharing a meal and afterwards children are brought in another room to enjoy activities while the mothers partake in workshops led by program staff and/or guest speakers. The women outside of the Alivio Project also help one another out with finding employment and serve as sources of support for each other.

 LNPWI is proud to support the Alivio Project and applaud the program’s recruitment efforts.

Read the Notice of Availability of Grant Funds here.

On Labor Jobs and Apprenticeships

Testimony provided by:       Shirley Moy, Executive Dir., Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative, Temple University – shirley.moy@temple.edu

Testimony provided on:      March 9, 2020 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Testimony provided at:        Temple University, Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA

Thank you for the opportunity to share comments at the House Democratic Policy Committee Hearing.  Firstly, I would like to introduce myself as the Executive Director of the Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative, which is under the Office of the Vice President of Public Affairs at Temple University.  While I assumed this position in 2018, I have over twenty years of experience working at the university.

Based on my experiences, I would like to highlight issues, programs and processes that the LNPWI is deploying to alleviate poverty in Pennsylvania, in communities like North Philadelphia.   I firmly believe how you define the problem, defines the solution.

Firstly, the Temple LNPWI places value on community-engagement.   North Philadelphia is diversely rich with assets, including community- and faith-based organizations, social service providers, healthcare institutions, employers, etc.   The residents, themselves, represent a wealth of resources.   When the LNPWI was designed, care was taken to understand the challenges and opportunities from these multiple perspectives. 

Secondly, there was emphasis on understanding workforce issues from a data-informed lens, which included understanding labor force participation, barriers to employment, trends in job opportunities, and existing resources.  The result of this period of discovery was the “Driving Working Development Solutions for North Philadelphia” publication, produced in collaboration with the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia and Philadelphia Works, Inc.

Thirdly, there is common sense reality that coordination is key to avoiding redundancies of services.   The LNPWI has created the Opportunities for Workforce Leadership (OWL) Collective, which includes representation of over 35 organizations that meet bi-monthly to network, share resources and ideas, and to foster collaboration.   Temple University and Temple University Health System are central anchor institutions in North Philadelphia, and are invested in this work.

Finally, making strategic investments is critical.  With a $2.6 million grant from The Lenfest Foundation for fiscal year 2019-20, the LNPWI was able to redistribute $1.8 million for eleven distinct projects that intentionally involved community and university partnerships, and which aligned with the City’s workforce plans.  In less than a year, the LNPWI OWL Collective has been able to leverage an additional $1.3 million in local and state government funding, adding additional revenue for projects, targeting specific populations and programs. 

Funding has been targeted to specific populations, who face greater barriers to employment, including Opportunity Youth, individuals without a high school diploma, individuals with a disability, English Language Learners/Immigrants, and returning citizens.   With support from the LNPWI, the OWL Collective has instituted the following placed-based initiatives to prepare individuals for sustainable job opportunities:

• Summer and year-round, paid and unpaid internship opportunities for high school youth and young adults with employers, including Temple University and Temple University Health Systems. 
• Programs that help individuals obtain their high school equivalency, either the GED, HiSET Certification or 30 college credits
• Initiatives that prepare individuals for work — focusing on critical foundational skills and 21^st Century skills
• Supportive services to reduce barriers to participation
• Training of individuals for entry-level positions (that require only a high school equivalency), resulting in industry recognized certifications, and jobs with reasonable wages.
• Training and employment opportunities in property maintenance, grounds-keeping, construction, renovation/installation, weatherization, electrical and other building trades are being offered to returning citizens, public housing residents, and Opportunity Youth.

The LNPWI recognizes that much more needs to be done at the basic community level and with more intensive employer engagement.    Many community residents are not fully aware of the resources, services and programs that are being offered.   More effective strategies to provide access to information from trustworthy sources seem to be a promising culturally-appropriate practice.

Generally speaking, employers are engaged in workforce development, but at different levels — from just hiring individuals, to participating in or being involved in designing training, to investing in individuals and developing apprenticeship opportunities.   Employers benefit from the efforts of the public workforce system, which is preparing individuals for jobs.  There an opportunity to press employers to intentionally make more of a commitment and a financial investment in the public workforce system.

With these thoughts in mind, the LNPWI will continue to focus on four identified priority areas:

1. Fostering connections and collaboration in the vast ecosystem of workforce development organizations and employers
2. Supporting and elevating human resources practices that directly benefit North Philadelphia residents
3. Supporting data-informed workforce development programming and training that will provide practical skill-building and educational opportunities
4. Expanding access to supportive services, so that people who are able to work do not continue to be limited by their circumstances

If we are to break the cycle of unemployment and underem­ployment in North Philadelphia, these are important places to start.

City Council’s Special Committee on Poverty Reduction and Prevention

Testimony provided by:    Maura Shenker, Director, Temple University Small Business Development Center– MauraSBDC@temple.edu

Testimony provided on:   December 5, 2019 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Testimony provided at:    Dobbins Technical High School, 2150 West Lehigh Avenue, Philadelphia, PA

Resolution No.:                190575

I appreciate this opportunity to provide a public comment at the Jobs and Education Public Hearing for City Council’s Special Committee on Poverty Reduction and Prevention. My name is Maura Shenker, and I am the Director of Temple University’s Small Business Development Center, which is part of the Fox School of Business at Temple University.  Today the Fox School is the largest, most comprehensive business school in the greater Philadelphia region, celebrating more than 100 years of business innovation.

For the past 38 years, Temple SBDC has served pre-venture and established business owners throughout the Philadelphia region with no cost, confidential professional consulting services. These consulting services include help with strategic planning, market or sales strategies, financial analysis and loan packaging, export marketing reports, cybersecurity, government procurement and certifications. Temple SBDC is one of 16 service centers across the Commonwealth and the PA SBDC network is the only statewide, nationally accredited program that provides high quality one-on-one consulting, training and information resources to empower new and existing businesses. The SBDC program is a public/private partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and 16 universities and colleges across the Commonwealth. Currently Temple University is the only University in Philadelphia with an SBDC; the Wharton SBDC closed in August of this year.

I would like to address areas which relate to the “Narrowing the Gap” strategies, and share thoughts about how we could move forward in alignment with City Council’s interest in implementing actionable policies and programs that substantively prevent and alleviate poverty.

Under the section for “Preserve Housing Affordability and Protect Existing Homeowners,” it suggests that Philadelphia should fully leverage the benefits of the Federal Qualified Opportunity Zones.  I would like to note that Opportunity Zone funds can also be used to fund start-up companies and that mixed-use facilities can contain both affordable housing and house incubators and accelerators that promote entrepreneurship.

The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers are specifically mentioned as a tool to increase support for micro-enterprise development and grassroots entrepreneurship, but we do so much more. In addition to helping businesses start – we also help them scale. Growing evidence supports the idea that business growth can have more short-term and long-term economic impact than business creation, business attraction, or business retention. Good jobs and new positions are created when firms grow – not necessarily when they start. Once local ventures start accelerating their growth, it systematically translates into good role models, mentors, and business partners for startup entrepreneurs. Most importantly, scale up entrepreneurs offer a growth template to startup entrepreneurs. (Isenberg, D. 2018). Building and scaling the entrepreneurial ecosystem must be a City-wide priority.

 For 32 years, the Temple SBDC has offered a nine-month intensive training program called the Construction Management Certificate. This program should be included as an existing program in the “Partnering with Building Trades to Provide Job Training for Returning Citizens” strategy. Our training provides the business-based education needed to run and grow a business in the construction industry. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are able to be licensed and bonded by the City of Philadelphia. Although this program is not focused specifically for returning citizens, there are no prerequisites required. I agree with my colleague Shirley Moy that construction-related industry employers and all of the interested workforce development partners need to be at the table to transparently discuss hiring and training needs.  This will ensure that trainings are tailored for the needs of both returning citizens and the employer, leading to actual, sustainable jobs.

In my opinion, an effective strategy to “Cross-promote existing City initiatives through unifying marketing resources” is critical for entrepreneurs. There are more than 50 different technical assistance providers throughout the City, but they are often silo-ed and duplicating services. The Department of Commerce is actively working on a city-wide initiative to catalog all the service providers and programs offered in order to facilitate access for entrepreneurs and small businesses.  I would like to commend Commerce for creating the “Philadelphia Business Lending Network” which is an online common application for entrepreneurs seeking funding.  A simple questionnaire puts the applicants’ information in front of 40 different lenders. However, many people in need of funding are unaware of this service. The city still needs to develop strategies that inform the community, of the various services available.  Incredible programs exist, but when people are unaware, they can’t take advantage of them.

In closing, the Temple SBDC believes priority should be placed on:

• Creating and supporting an entrepreneurial ecosystems which helps businesses both start and scale.
• Better sharing information about resources such as Opportunity Zones and how they can be utilized to benefit small business development in particular.
• Supporting data-driven decision making about the allocation of limited resources as it relates to the impact of small business growth and the efficacy of technical assistance.

Again, I appreciate this opportunity to speak here this afternoon.

City Council’s Special Committee on Poverty Reduction and Prevention

Testimony provided by:       Shirley Moy, Executive Dir., Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative, Temple University – shirley.moy@temple.edu

Testimony provided on:      December 5, 2019 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Testimony provided at:        Dobbins Technical High School, 2150 West Lehigh Avenue, Philadelphia, PA

Resolution No.:                       190575

Thank you for the opportunity to provide a public comment at the Jobs and Education Public Hearing for City Council’s Special Committee on Poverty Reduction and Prevention.  Firstly, I would like to introduce myself as the Executive Director of the Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative, which is under the Office of the Vice President of Public Affairs at Temple University.  While I assumed this position in 2018, I have over twenty years working at the university,

My colleague, Michael Robinson, is also providing testimony, and I am here today to elaborate on how Temple is contributing, and more importantly, how the Temple LNPWI can expand and support the proposed Jobs and Education strategies — particularly for the North Philadelphia community. 

With a $2.6 million grant from The Lenfest Foundation for fiscal year 2019-20, the Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative was able to redistribute $1.8 million for eleven distinct projects that intentionally involved community and university partnerships, that was in response to data that was collected by the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia and Philadelphia Works, Inc., and which aligned with the City’s workforce plans. 

I will highlight areas which relate to the “Narrowing the Gap” strategies, and share thoughts about how we could move forward in alignment with City Council’s interest in implementing actionable policies and programs that substantively prevent and alleviate poverty.

Under the strategy for “Bolstering Support for the School District of Philadelphia,” Temple is partnering with several high schools to create training and internship opportunities at Temple University and Temple University Health Systems.  What needs to be done … there is a need to coordinate the system, as there are multiple requests from providers to the same employer for limited internship slots.    As you can imagine, an uncoordinated process fosters competition for slots, can be time consuming for employers, and may not be in the best interests of those youth, whom we are collectively serving.

Under the strategy for “Partnering with Building Trades to Provide Job Training for Returning Citizens”, the Temple LNPWI is supporting the Center for Employment Opportunities which focuses on connecting returning citizens with training opportunities in Property Maintenance, Groundskeeping, Construction, Renovation/Installation, Weatherization, and other building trades – their model involves paying the workers at the end of the workday.  While not focused on returning citizens only, Temple partnered with the Philadelphia Housing Authority and the Electrical Association of Philadelphia to provide PHA residents with training in construction-related industries.  What needs to be done … the construction-related industry employers and all of the interested workforce development partners need to be at the table to transparently discuss hiring and training needs, as well as the actual employment opportunities and processes to on-board and retain a person with limited construction-related experience.  This will ensure that trainings are tailored for the needs of both returning citizens and the employer, leading to actual, sustainable jobs.

Under the strategy for “Sponsor Programs to Support Hiring and Training Entry-Level Workers” as well as “Provide Resources for Short-Term Credentialing Programs to Accelerate the Transition from Training to Work,” Temple and its partners have trained individuals for entry-level positions (that require only a high school equivalency) and industry recognized certifications, such as our 120 hour Community Health Worker training and 60 hour Customer Service training, the 150 hour Electrical Association of Philadelphia training, and through our community partner’s training programs for Perinatal Community Health Workers, Certified Peer Specialists, and bilingual Human Services workers. What needs to be done … while we currently have funding from The Lenfest Foundation, funding to continue these types of programs that demonstrate their success in providing entry-level jobs for individuals, and which lead to careers with family sustaining wages.

Under the strategy for “Provide Resources to Support Vocational and Middle-College Programs,” Temple LNPWI is focuses on Opportunity Youth and Adults who need to obtain their high school equivalency and who also have a desire to go on to post-secondary education. In partnership with Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia, Temple has opened a Helms Academy on its main campus to help adults obtain their high school equivalency while earning college credits – at no financial cost to them — through Community College of Philadelphia. The Dornsife Center in West Philadelphia also has a Helms Academy.  What needs to be done … the City can develop strategies that inform the community-at-large, at a very grassroots level.  Programs exist, but people are not aware, and hence, do not take advantage of them.

And finally, under the strategy to “Partner with Universities to Provide Career Coaching in Every Neighborhood.”   There is a Workforce Hub at Temple’s Main Campus, that also serves as a KeySpot location.   At this site, the Temple LNPWI will be opening up its self-funded MyPlace Campus, in collaboration with the City’s Office of Adult Education, where residents can get assessed and referred to adult literacy programs.  Come January 2020, our new MyPlace Coordinator and a Career Coach will be able help folks find resources, get support with job searches and resumes, participate in professional development workshops, build their digital literacy, and obtain other supportive services.   What needs to be done … again, public awareness is critical, as programs exist, but people are not aware, and hence, do not take advantage of them. 

In closing, taking into consideration City Council’s proposed strategies and based on our “Guide for Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative Strategic Investments” report, which is available through our website, www.templelnpwi.org, priority should be placed on:

• Fostering connections and collaboration in the workforce development ecosystem
• Supporting and elevating human resources practices that benefit the unemployed, under-employed and underpaid workers
• Supporting data-informed workforce development programming and training
• Expanding access to supportive services

Thank you for your time.

Testimony provided at:     Dobbins Technical High School, 2150 West Lehigh Ave., Phila., PA

Resolution No.:                #190575

Good afternoon to all.  My name is Rev. Michael Robinson, I am the Director of Community Outreach and Hiring for Temple University’s Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative. 

I’ve been employed with Temple University since 2011, but I possess over 30 years of collective Human Resources, University Management, University Faculty, Workforce/Leadership Development, and College Planning expertise serving in management roles in the Corporate, Higher Education, Non-Profit and State Government employment sectors.

Thank you for inviting me to provide public comments for today’s Jobs and Education Public Hearing for City Council’s Special Committee on Poverty Reduction and Prevention. 

I’d like to use a quote from an article published by The American Prospect as a backdrop to my comments today.  In the article entitled: Is Education the Cure for Poverty…

• “Julie Strawn of the Center for Law and Social Policy, reviewing an extensive sample of basic education and training programs, concluded that education alone is much less successful in raising employment and earnings prospects than education combined with a strategy of focused job training, “soft skills,” and holding out for quality jobs.”

I agree with Strawn’s recommended success strategy of combining education, job training and “soft skills” development to produce a high talent/highly productive/economically thriving employee and community.

• I want to reframe and underscore the importance of “soft skills” development; instead of term soft skills, I prefer to use the phrase: “power skills.” 

For over a decade, Temple University has been on the forefront of serving hundreds of job seeking professionals by developing their power skills via two signature professional training programs that we offer to the community for FREE…

1. Our ComUniverCity Monthly Workshops is a professional development workshop series focused on resume writing, effective interviewing skills, expert job search strategies, and personal branding and professionalism in the workplace.
2. Our 8-week New Opportunities Workshop (NOW) professional development seminar provides similar content as our monthly workshop series, but the NOW professional development subject matter content is more in-depth, detailed and structured.

The NOW professional development seminar focuses on power skills development in Communication, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Creativity, Work Ethic, Time Management, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership Development and Adaptability. Participants power skills are developed via in-depth, detailed and structured training that includes…

• It’s 16 hours of total classroom instruction with industry leaders,
  • 2 hours of community service with a local non-profit,
  • Group discussions and activities,
  • Group and individual presentations,
  • A certificate of completion ceremony at the conclusion of the training, and a
  • Meet and Greet dinner reception with local employer representatives.

1 of 2

Shifting to the conversation of EMPLOYMENT, Temple University is the largest North Philadelphia anchor employer.  Our University Founder, Rev. Russell Conwell, believed in the philosophy of finding acres of diamonds in your own backyard. 

• In that spirit, Temple University continues to reach out into its surrounding North Philadelphia community to recruit and hire talented/qualified candidates for positions at main campus and our hospital. 
• We routinely send job vacancy notices to community groups and legislative leaders.
• We will conduct workforce readiness presentations and professional development workshops on site at community agencies like OIC Philadelphia, Urban League of Philadelphia, JEVS, Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Project HOME, Society of Human Resources Management, Uplift Solutions, District Attorney’s Community Engagement division, Pennsylvania CareerLink, Faith-based organizations, etc. –  it’s through these strategic alliances that we obtain additional candidate referrals.

As of a Nov. 28, 2019 campus hiring report, Temple University main campus employs 9,514 workers.

• We are proud to report that almost 11% of our entire employees are hired from our surrounding North Philadelphia campus community!  Economically, that translates into over $50 million in cumulative income earnings for North Philadelphia households residing in our eight-zip code coverage area!
• These 1,015 employees are the acres of diamonds that help make Temple University a choice premier institution of higher education – – locally, nationally and globally!

The Temple University Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative understands that we don’t have the capacity to hire all job seekers from our surrounding and at-large city communities.  So, as a service to North Philadelphia and the city at-large, we produce two popular job fair events each year.

Each Fall, we host our Annual Community Job Fair specifically targeting North Philadelphia residents. 

• This job fair is held in November in collaboration with our community partner Prince of Peace Ministries, located at 32^nd & Berks, in the Strawberry Mansion section of the city. 
• This job fair usually draws approximately 25-30 employers and between 100-300 job seekers.

Each Spring, we host our Annual Neighborhood Job Fair, it’s Philly’s largest citywide employment event.

• In a written citation, Governor Tom Wolf has lauded our Annual Neighborhood Job Fair as an economic engine for Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
• Our Annual Neighborhood Job Fair is held in May, and it typically draws between 1,000 to 3,000 job seekers.  This year, we had 145 employers in attendance.
• During our Annual Neighborhood Job Fair we include a mobile computer lab so that job seekers can apply for jobs on-site, and a community resource section that allow job seekers to also engage with job training agencies, and an array of Temple University campus organizations and departments that provide premium training programs, employment, and education resources.

In addition to our two job fairs, representatives from our Human Resources Department and our office, will also attend other job fairs produced by city and state legislators, community organizations, and professional affinity group partners.  One major job fair that we’ve co-sponsored is the Annual Law Enforcement Job Fair, the largest law enforcement and security job fair event in Pennsylvania.  We’ve collaborated with the Philadelphia Police Department in producing this event.  This year, PACareerLink will be the organizer of this job fair event.

As I’ve outlined, our success is rooted in our ability to work closely with community partners; to tap into the powerful synergy and resources of collaborative partnerships to make greater impact uplifting our community.

Thank you for your time, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak during this public forum.