MGWIS Adult Education & Literacy Resources

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Work experience is a training activity in which trainees are selected by supervisors to work at public and private, non-profit worksites. While working at the site, trainees are expected to learn good work habits. Supervisors are expected to teach these good work habits and receive extra assistance from Middle Georgia Consortium Case Management program staff in solving problems, which may occur at the worksite. Worksites are not necessarily expected to hire trainees at the end of training, since worksites typically need a job done but do not have funds to hire persons to do the job. The training period is generally limited to six months, but may be extended for up to an additional three months, if justified by the needs of the trainee. After a trainee leaves the worksite, the job slot may be filled by another work experience program trainee. Work experience is not currently available for adults and dislocated workers whose training is funded by Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

Non-Profit Worksites Produce Community Benefits

Work experience is limited to non-profit worksites because they are more likely to provide community benefits. Benefits may be relatively indirect, such as providing clerical assistance to the police department resulting in budget savings that can be used to put more officers on the street. Benefits may also be more direct and "project-oriented", such as a group of trainees assigned to plant flowers in municipal parks. Hiring a work experience trainee is also less likely to displace current workers or substitute Consortium grant funds for other funds; also, there is no risk of giving one for-profit employer a competitive advantage over another by subsidizing his workforce and not subsidizing his competitor's workforce.

A Written Non-financial Agreement is Signed

The work experience terms and conditions are explained in a non-financial "worksite agreement", signed by the worksite and the Consortium. It calls for the worksite to provide supervision and training; and for the Consortium to be the employer of record, pay the wages of trainees, and worker's compensation. It includes assurances regarding non-displacement of workers, as well as non-promotion of religious, political or union activities. Trainees are usually paid the minimum wage and work up to forty (40) hours per week. They also receive only the benefits required by law, such as FICA. Work hours may be adjusted so that trainees can attend classroom instruction in such areas as academic/vocational summer school, personal financial management, work maturity skills, employability skills and job search. It is important that pay for the unsubsidized work always be more attractive than the work experience compensation, which is why work experience pay is the bare minimum that the labor maket provides. This acts as an incentive for trainees to leave work experience and obtain an unsubsidized job with more pay and benefits.

Quality Work Experience Empowers the Trainees

Work experience programs, which feature wage earnings, empower the trainees to attain self-sufficiency. After having earned up to $800.00 per month for full-time work experience, trainees are motivated to seek future unsubsidized employment opportunities as opposed to returning to welfare where monthly TANF checks are $230.00 - $330.00 per month. Successful trainees come to realize that they can successfully obtain jobs that pay at or above minimum wage so that they may continue to excel in the labor market, thereby reducing welfare dependency.

Worksite Training is "Learning By Doing"

Most of the training at the worksite is of the "learning by doing" variety. Though there is no expectation that trainees will receive occupational skills training such as that obtained in a classroom setting or through an On-the-Job Training (OJT) agreement, trainees frequently obtain such skills, along with a work experience "credential", which they can list on their resumes. The Consortium can attest to the work maturity level of successful trainees in addition to providing basic skill levels and aptitude test results to potential employers. Worksite supervisors can also provide positive references.

Worksite Monitoring Assures Quality Supervision

A quality worksite is one which, first and foremost, provides quality supervision. It is also important that supervision always be present at the worksite. Trainees should never be left to supervise themselves. The nature of the work to be performed at the site and learning opportunities available contribute to worksite quality, if supervision is adequate. With adequate supervision, even cutting grass and doing janitorial work can be quality work experiences. Worksites with well-written job descriptions and qualification requirements are often better prepared to make a work experience assignment a learning experience as well. Other quality factors are the absence of hazardous working conditions and the opportunities for continued employment, not subsidized with Consortium grant funds.

Worksites are Evaluated to Select the Best

All the factors described above are taken into account in a worksite and job slot evaluation and selection process that is used to select the best sites, when there are more worksite slots than trainees, or as worksite slots become available. Prior experience with the worksite is also taken into account.

Desired Outcomes Vary

Desired outcomes for the program include successful completion of the assignment by the trainee, transfer to occupational training, return to school and/or entering unsubsidized employment. If the objective is unsubsidized employment, the expectation for the placement wage should be very modest, since the value added to the trainee's skill repertoire is also modest. The major benefit of job placement from work experience is reduced job turnover and reduced spells of unemployment resulting from demonstrated work maturity. Leaving welfare might also be an objective, but the low wage outcome to be expected makes a return to welfare likely if no additional support services are provided, especially for trainees needing child care and transportation to work!

Entry into Work Experience Can be an Outcome of Another Activity

Work experience can also be used as an outcome from a "sheltered workshop" environment, especially for trainees with low basic skills. The "sheltered workshop" provides, through intensive supervision and targeted occupational training, trainees who are ready to practice what they have learned in a less intensive environment. For such trainees, unsubsidized work is an appropriate objective, since their low basic skills preclude entry into high-level occupational training, and activities to improve basic skills can be pursued while working.

Job Search and Unsubsidized Job Placement Objective

If an unsubsidized job is the objective, the work experience activity should feature a job search component, involving classroom instruction and employer contact. Job search may occur from the beginning of the work experience assignment and/or be included in a full-time component at the end.