Job Development Bureau
• • •
Eastown Plaza
587 East Main Street, Suite 100
Batavia, New York 14020
(585) 344-2042
Fax (585) 344-3266
Email: jdb@co.genesee.ny.us
Equal Opportunity Employer/Provider Auxiliary aids and services
are available upon request to individuals with disabilities
Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Center Partners
New York State Department Of LaborGenesee County Job Development Bureau
GLOW Workforce Investment Board
NYS Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID)
Genesee Community College, Educational Opportunity Center
Experience Works
Literacy Genesee/Orleans
Iroquois Job Corp.
Links
• • •
Department Description
• • •
The Job Development Bureau’s purpose is to provide programs and services which will result in our customers becoming self sufficient, achieving their career goals, and becoming part of the skilled workforce of Genesee County and the surrounding labor market area. Our customers are sponsored only for careers where there is sufficient employer demand. Our services result in an improved economic as well as social environment for all Genesee County residents and businesses.
The Job Development Bureau is major partner in the Genesee County Career Center at 587 East Main Street in Batavia. The other major partners are the New York State Department of Employment Services and the GLOW Workforce Investment Board (WIB). Part time partners include the GCC Educational Opportunities Center (EOC), Literacy Genesee, VESID, Experience Works, GLOW Disability Program Navigator, and Iroquois Job Corps.
As a partner in the Career Center, the Job Development Bureau staff assists a broad range of customers providing services as part of the seamless workforce development system in GLOW. The Job Development Bureau provides direct services to all unemployed and under employed adults, high school students, dropouts, out of school youth, public assistance recipients and others who have barriers inhibiting them from securing and retaining employment.
The businesses of our area represent the major customer in this demand-side based workforce development system benefiting from our recruitment, assessment, training services and intense workforce preparation for GLOW residents.
The Job Development Bureau provides our job-seeking customers with help in selecting the appropriate career; developing a plan to assure success; and securing financial assistance to cover the costs of their training. Many years ago, to avoid duplication of services and extra administrative expenses, the Office for the Aging combined their older worker employment resources with those of the Job Development Bureau, allowing us to provide seamless employment services to their customers as well. One employment and training system has been more economical and also has enabled Office for the Aging customers to receive a wider range of high quality employment services at the Career Center.
Vocational and academic training, as well as remediation, is provided at the Career Center through agreements with a variety of community agencies, which include: educational agencies, employers, and non-profit agencies. The Job Development Bureau is an authorized training agency for the National Retail Federation (NRF) in Customer Service and Sales and is the only certified testing location for NRF in GLOW. We also provide training for entrepreneurs wishing to start E-businesses. Daycare, transportation, special counseling, and other services are provided on both a contractual and non-contractual basis. The Job Development Bureau receives its direction
through the Genesee County Legislature, NYS Department of Labor, GLOW Workforce Investment Board, and the
Human Service Advocacy Committee. Genesee County does not provide any direct local funding to the Job Development Bureau. The County does provide in-kind services, which enable the Bureau to use more of its Federal and State funding on services directly benefiting our customers. The GLOW Workforce Investment Board members donate their time in partnership with the Chief Elected Officials of the GLOW Workforce Investment Area providing oversight, setting the policies and approving annual programs and operating plans.
Key 2009 Accomplishments
In the last program year, 2,306 individual customers visited the Genesee County Career Center.
The Job Development Bureau and the Genesee County Career Center staff processed 532 job orders from 239 area businesses who listed their job openings for the Genesee region. As a result, the Career Center assisted a total of 885 job seekers to secure new employment through our services.
The Job Development Bureau assisted five area businesses with their applications for grants to upgrade the skills of their current employees, helping them remain competitive in our global economy. The applications totaled more than $93,463 in funds to train their employees. Four of the area businesses received funds from the regional WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) training fund, sponsored by the US Department of Labor, to train employees in skills including engineering, healthcare, MasterCam and supervision. The other business received a total of $46,626 in State Advance New York funds to train employees in Lean Manufacturing techniques.
The Job Development Bureau participated in seventy-two (72) on-site employer specific job recruitments for eight (8) area businesses at the Career Center.
The Job Development Bureau provided On-the-Job Training funds valued at more than $9,400 to one (1) Genesee County business in order to provide skill training to one (1) worker. Additionally, two businesses used $2,900 in customized training funds to upgrade the skills for seven (7) existing employees.
The Job Development Bureau sponsored 54 individuals to attend occupational classroom training, providing over $145,900 in financial aid for tuition and books. This represents a 32% increase over the previous year. Additionally, eleven (11) individuals received gas vouchers with a total value at more than $1,450, assisting them with the high cost of travel expenses for their job search as part of a special NYS DOL initiative.
The Summer Youth Program served ninety-eight (98) youth in 2009, a 69% increase, at seventy six (76) worksites throughout Genesee County. Thirty-four (34) of the worksites were For-Profit businesses (or 45%) and forty-two (42) were Non-Profit businesses. Additionally, the Job Development Bureau assisted twelve (12) youth to secure unsubsidized jobs for the summer, bringing the total youth served in Summer 2009 to one hundred and ten (110). At the end of the program, 16 youth were retained and placed on their employer’s payroll.
The Job Development Bureau has continued to update our Career Center Web Page. The Web Page also describes the complete menu of services available for all our other partners in the Genesee County Career Center. Our monthly Calendar of Events continued to be published on our Web Page each month, expanding
the number of customers who have access to these valuable job seeking and job keeping services. The dates of
all our free workshops and business recruitments were included on the Calendar.
The Job Development Bureau has six (6) on-going workshops being offered to the public for no charge, covering the topics of resume writing, interviewing skills, career exploration, job club, job applications and cover letters, and conducting an internet job search. The Richmond Library also provided a basic computer skills workshop for entry
level computer users at the Career Center on eight (8) separate occasions during the year. Additionally, the Career Center partnered with Genesee Community College to sponsor a basic computer skills class at GCC in January 2009.
The Job Development Bureau hosted an AmeriCorps member over the past year through the Genesee County Youth Bureau, providing a college student the opportunity to experience public service while earning an Education Award of $2,362.50 that can be applied to the cost of post-secondary training. The member earned a $5,550 living allowance in the form of stipend payments over the period of the assignment, assisting job seekers in the Resource Room to access internet job sites looking for employment and also showing them how to use the Career Zone self assessment to determine career interests. The member provided one-on-one orientations to Career Center customers, including weekly tours of the Career Center for youth from the Iroquois Job Corps Center, discussing the complete menu of services available at the Career Center for each potential user. The member also mentored in-school youth attending the after-school Adolescent Vocational Exploration (AVE) Program.
The Job Development Bureau operated the Customer Service and Sales Training Center of Western New York at the Genesee County Career Center to train individuals in the skills necessary to be successful in high performance customer service and sales careers. The Job Development Bureau also offered E-business Entrepreneurial training, teaching customer service and sales skills as the foundation for establishing a successful E-business.
The Job Development Bureau continued to provide innovative youth career development programming through the Adolescent Vocational Exploration (AVE) Program. AVE was a partnership between the Genesee County Youth Bureau and the Genesee County Job Development Bureau, funded through a competitive grant of $61,062 from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). The grant allowed the Job Development Bureau to provide twelve (12) in-school youth the opportunity to participate in career exploration and job placement activities.
Key 2010 Goals
Quickly distribute American Reemployment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding to unemployed workers, allowing them to learn new occupational skills that will enable them to find reemployment as businesses start hiring during the recovery.
Continue leadership and collaboration with our local partners at the Genesee County Career Center and continue the development of an enhanced Workforce Development System to bring better service at a better price to all its customers.
Continue to find ways to further increase our success in finding our people meaningful jobs leading to economic self-sufficiency. Develop alternative transportation methods to maximize employment opportunities in rural areas.
Work with NYS Department of Labor to refine WIA program reports for the One Stop Operating System (OSOS). A new series of management reports will soon be released to OSOS users. These are expected to increase our capability to reconcile the OSOS however; the State or GLOW will need to provide staff training. During 2010, we will work to increase the ability to track performance utilizing the new OSOS reports.
Expand the level that partner agencies share in the cost of the Workforce Development System. Collect user fees for the non-workforce development usage by other agencies.
Continue to assist local businesses in accessing special funding for training and upgrading their workforce.
Continue our partnership with schools and other community agencies to prepare our job seekers and emerging youth to be part of our future quality workforce. Provide representation on the Genesee County Youth Bureau, Literacy Genesee, Genesee County Business Education Alliance, Genesee County Transportation Coordinating Committee, Inter-Agency Council, GLOW Workforce Investment Board, GLOW Youth Council, Human Services Advisory Committee, Technology Advisory Committee, and Chamber of Commerce Business Development Committee.
Support our job-seeking customers to maximize their successful job retention while working with business to satisfy their continuing needs for a highly skilled and productive workforce.
