2. Organizational Structure of the Agency
Director:
Blake Konczal
Assistant Director:
Pam Lassetter
Marketing Manager:
Janis Parker
Adult/Youth Program Manager:
Phyllis Stogbauer
Head of Contracting/Quality Unit:
Steve DeWitt
3. Community context of the agency
• The services that Workforce Connection provides for the community are
self-directed, and staff-assisted services. The self-directed services are for
clients to register at Workforce Connection, and from there clients will
receive an identification card. With that identification card clients that come
to the agency must present their identification card at the front desk, and
then they could use the computers to look for jobs, do their resumes, and
fax their resumes to the jobs they are applying for.
• Staff-assisted services are for those clients who have gone trough the
agency’s orientation where client’s have an overview of the services
available at Workforce Connection. Second, client’s go through the CASAS
assessment, this assessment will give the agency the client’s math and
reading level scores. The assessment is not a pass or fail test. Third, client’s
go through SRT, which is for client’s to interview with a program assistant.
The program assistant will determine what resources are most appropriate
for the client’s needs.
4. Continued
• Fourth, the client will go through intake. Here the client will complete a WIA
application and be considered for program eligibility. Fifth, clients go through
Work Keys and PESCO where they meet with councilors. The two
assessments will determine the client’s skills, interests, and strengths where
councilors help client’s market with employers to help them find jobs of their
special interest. Sixth, client’s work with employment readiness specialists,
where specialists explore the client’s career options. And, finally client’s will
receive a positive exit from Workforce Connection and will also receive a
certificate of completion from the agency.
• WIA stands for Workforce Investment Act of 1998.
5. Populations at risk from Workforce Connection
• The populations at risk that Workforce Connection helps the most are the
unemployed. The reason why is because of the bad economy. So many
people have lost their jobs that they come to Workforce Connection to use
the self-directed services to find jobs in mostly anything to bring income to
their families, buy food, and mostly pay for rent.
• Client’s have to first register through www.caljobs.ca.gov, in that website
client’s will register there and find jobs of their interest.
6. Mission of the agency
• According to Workforce Connection their mission is, “To serve as a catalyst
to mobilize and integrate all private and public partners to effectively
educate, train and place individuals with the necessary resources and skills
to fulfill employer needs.”
• The agency does follow its mission statement everyday to fulfill the client’s
needs. Everyday when I intern there I see that the agency employees
educate the client’s of the many resources and services that Workforce
Connection offers to them. As well they train client’s of how to have better
working skills to get the jobs of their interest. After client’s are well educated,
and well trained the agency places them with councilors to help them find
jobs of their interest.
7. Vision of the agency
• According to Workforce Connection its vision is, “A dynamic and
comprehensive workforce investment system that embraces all segments of
Fresno County, is proactive, customer-oriented, user-friendly and produces
positive results for job seekers and employers.”
• As well the agency follows its vision statement. The agency is very
proactive, very customer oriented, and most of all user friendly. Being
friendly is the number one thing in the agency you never want to be rude to
client’s. In the agency you also always want to welcome client’s with a smile.
Many client’s come in sad, desperate, and angry because they were either
laid off or fired from their jobs. The only thing that we can do is to make
them feel welcomed with a big smile.
8. Agency’s practices
• As I mentioned before Workforce Connection does follow its mission, and
vision statements well. The agency gives their clients resources and
services for them to use to fulfill their needs to find jobs of their interest. The
agency employees give client’s all the information they need, they never
leave client’s empty handed client’s always leave with information in their
hands. Workforce Connection on the other hand is always user friendly. The
employee workers always receive client’s with a warm smile to make client’s
feel welcomed and not frightened. Being friendly and receiving client’s with a
big smile makes a big difference in people’s lives. Even tough many people
are rude towards the workers including me the intern, we try to be nice to
them.
9. Social justice in the agency
• The populations that are served the most at Workforce Connection are the
unemployed. A few people who come to the agency to seek jobs have their
masters or doctors degree, but mostly the highest served are the
unemployed. The people that are unemployed have few education skills
such as not having their GED (high school diploma), have some high
school, or drop outs. Maybe if they were a little more prepared they would
not be in that situation.
• Workforce Connection helps anyone who comes to the agency for help. The
agency never turns people away they help anyone who wants help. They
don’t care the status of the client, their class, race, and gender.
10. Social work values and human rights
• Our social work values and human rights are to help anyone, not judge
people, and respect everyone. Social workers are there to help people with
their problems and concerns, and to help make change. But first as social
workers we need to take action in order to make change in the community to
help people with their needs and concerns. As social workers we respect
everyone and most importantly we need to maintain professional. If we don’t
maintain professional we won’t be able to help client’s correctly. We as
social workers need to respect the rights of all people and help them as best
as we can to make a great change in their lives.
