Director's Letter: HCJFS Improves Effectiveness of SuperJobs
Last year, Hamilton
County Job and Family Services took over operation of the SuperJobs
Center from a private vendor. We did so with a number of goals, namely
increasing services to Hamilton County and City of Cincinnati residents
by reducing administrative costs.
I am proud to say that
one year after we assumed operation, we’ve reduced operating costs by
more than $700,000 and increased spending on training and transportation
for Hamilton County residents by more than $900,000. As a result, more
residents were able to get and keep a job.
The SuperJobs Center,
located at 1916 Central Parkway, is a valuable local service that
connects current job seekers with employers who have current openings.
Unlike a private employment agency, SuperJobs uses a variety of
community partnerships and internal resources to help job seekers
overcome barriers and work toward financial stability and
self-sufficiency.
In some cases, SuperJobs
is able to work with employers to help provide job seekers with training
or certification. Other times, SuperJobs is able provide assistance with
transportation to help an individual get to their job the first few
weeks. SuperJobs works closely with 13 partners – including Job Corps,
the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Community Action Agency,
Mature Services and others – who collaborate to meet the needs of
Hamilton County residents.
The SuperJobs Center has
done some solid work for several years. Last year HCJFS took over the
operation in a move led by Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartmann
with an eye toward improving both the efficiency and effectiveness of
this public service.
At the time, we set seven
goals for the SuperJobs center. All are aimed at putting more people to
work.
Those goals were:
- Increase spending on
direct services to consumers by $500,000
- Reduce operating
costs by $500,000
- Enroll 750
individuals in the Workforce Investment Act
- Provide training and
wage subsidies to 200 individuals
- Help 450 individuals
find employment
- Serve 200 employers
more than once
- Meet or exceed state
federal performance measures.
One year later, we have
exceed our objectives in the first six goals, saving more money that we
expected, redirecting those savings to consumers and helping more people
enroll in services and find employment.
We’ve also improved our
relationships with local employers. Last year, we added value for more
than 300 local employers who turned to us regularly for help filling
positions. As a result of our frequent and successful hiring events, we
are regularly able to match employers with job seekers.
We also met the final
goal – to meet federal performance measures – meeting four state
objectives and exceeding two. Five of the six increased compared to one
year prior.
All of this was done
while staffing levels dropped from 27 to 18.
Moving forward, we know
changes are coming for SuperJobs. As Governor John Kasich recently
announced, all of the one-stop employment centers – SuperJobs included –
will soon undergo a change in branding and become Ohio Means Jobs
centers.
But we have already
transformed last year’s goals into benchmarks for this year and are
confident that the new, more efficient center is ready to meet any
challenges that lie ahead. We will continue to adapt to ensure that we
spend public dollars well and that we continue helping Hamilton County
residents to find work.
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