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June 2010 issue
page 7 of 7 |
New integrated service delivery model will improve customer service at WorkSource
WorkSource will implement a new integrated service delivery model in both the Vancouver and Kelso WorkSource offices starting July 1. The new model is based on lean principles that aim to improve customer service and reduce wait times.
“The actual services clients receive at WorkSource won’t be impacted, but their experience should be more efficient and customer friendly,” explained Jordana Barclay, SWWDC Program Manager. “The majority of changes being made will happen behind the scenes.”
In the new model, WorkSource staff will be arranged by function and the type of services they offer, rather than by program and funding. Customers will get easier access to whatever package of services and resources best fit their needs and eligibility.
“Previously, WorkSource was set up so that services and staff were siloed and separated by their various funding streams,” said Barclay. “If a client was eligible for multiple programs, they would bounce between different staff, making timely coordination and communication difficult to achieve. Our new model creates an environment that is more responsive and accessible to all customers.”
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SWWDC, ESD 112, and Clark College team up to offer 18 youth training in welding
 SWWDC has teamed up with Clark College and ESD 112 to pilot a two–week concentrated welding “boot camp.” To date, Clark College has hosted two camps and given 18 young men and women in ESD 112’s Youth Workforce program, ages 18–21 years old, the opportunity to try their hand at welding without waiting to enroll in the regular 10 to 12 week welding classes.
Welding is a high–demand skill in our region with many individuals pursuing training in this field. As a result, classes at local community colleges and training schools are full with adults looking for a career change or to brush up on their own welding skills, making enrollment in these classes difficult for inexperienced youth.
For unemployed, 20 year–old Alex Gavilin, the program came at the “perfect time” and helped him determine that he liked welding. “A friend of mine who is in welding told me I should give it a try, but I wasn’t sure it was for me,” he said. “During the program, I put in over sixty hours in two weeks. It was hard, but I learned and tried a variety of welding techniques, learned what I was best at, and came away knowing it is something I like and can do all day as a job.”
Under the tutelage of Clark instructors, Alex and other youth worked six and a half hours a day for two weeks and earned four college credits. They also finished off with an OSHA 10 safety training and visited different companies that need or use welders. Many of the youth, Alex included, have decided to continue on in the welding sequence and work toward national certification.
The boot camp model has been so successful that the partners will be offering two different camps this summer at Clark College—one a technology workshop and the other an electricity workshop—and are working on a similar plan with Lower Columbia College in Longview.
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