Opportunities for Hispanic/Latino Workers

1 Opportunities for Hispanic/Latino Workers Effective Practices in Workforce Development Services for Hispanic/Latino Populations in the Goodwill Resource Guide A Report By: Robert Crosslin Jennifer Davis Janet Marinaccio Eric Olson Goodwill Industries International, Inc. April 2007 Opportunities for Hispanic/Latino Workers Goodwill Resource Guide Effective Practices in Workforce Development Services for Hispanic/Latino Populations in the Table of Contents Executive 4 7 Part One: Trends and 8 Demographic and Labor Force Characteristics of Latinos in the 9 Earnings of Latinos in the 12 First Generation Immigrants and Individuals with Limited English 16 Employment Barriers for 18 Challenges in Serving Latino 20 Part Two.

2 Goodwill Research Findings and Identified Effective 24 Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina GreenvilleResearch 24 Research 25 Goodwills with Effective Practices for Serving Hispanic 27 Frequency of Effective Practice 30 Introduction to Effective 32 Effective Practices: Staffing and Organizational 33 Practices Outside of Goodwill 33 Goodwill 33 Bilingual and Bicultural 33 Forms, Newsletters, Signage, and other 34 Recommendations for Staffing and Organizational 35 Effective Practices: Outreach and 36 Practices Outside of Goodwill 36 Goodwill 36 36 Community 37 Media and 37 Hispanic Community 38 Other Outreach 38 Recommendations for Outreach and 39 Effective Practices: Workforce Development Service 40 Practices Outside of Goodwill 40 ESL/VESL 40 Employer 42 Microenterprise 43 Goodwill 44 ESL and Intake and Work 45 Immigration 46 Supportive 47 Education and Skills 47 Job Readiness and 48 OJT and Transitional Employment 49 Job Development and Employer 49 Microenterprise 50 Recommendations for Workforce Development Service 50 Part Three: Summaries of Goodwills with Effective Workforce Development Practices for Hispanic 52 Development of a New Hispanic Services Program: Goodwill of North Georgia (Atlanta).

3 53 Goodwill Industries International, Inc. Opportunities for Hispanic/Latino Workers April 2007 Goodwill Industries International, Inc. Opportunities for Hispanic/Latino Workers April 2007 Outstanding Dedication to Quality Services for Hispanic/Latino 56 Goodwill Industries of El Paso (El Paso, TX).. 56 Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina (Greenville, SC).. 57 Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan (Kalamazoo, MI).. 57 Goodwill Industries of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, Inc. (Santa Cruz, CA).. 58 Distinguished Dedication to Quality Services for Hispanic/Latino 60 Easter Seals-Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain (Great Falls, MT, Idaho Office).. 60 Goodwill Industries of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA).

4 60 Distinctive Services for Hispanic/Latino 62 Goodwill Industries of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM).. 62 Goodwill Industries of Denver (Denver, CO).. 62 Goodwill Industries of Central Arizona (Phoenix, AZ).. 63 Goodwill Industries of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA).. 63 Promising Services for Hispanic/Latino 65 Goodwill Industries of Western Connecticut (Bridgeport, CT).. 65 Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest (Spokane, WA).. 65 Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota (St. Paul, MN).. 66 Part Four: Conclusions, Recommendations and Funding 67 A Goodwill participant in St. Paul, 67 Conclusions and 68 Funding Outlook for Latino Workforce Development 71 Goodwill Industries International, Inc. Opportunities for Hispanic/Latino Workers April 2007 In the research conducted under the Enterprise in Motion project, the findings indicate that the top three employment barriers faced by Latinos are: !

5 Language and Literacy ! Basic Education and Work Skills ! Documentation of Status The top three challenges to serving Hispanic individuals are: ! Funding ! Finding/Retaining Bilingual and Bicultural Staff ! Credibility in the Hispanic Community Executive Summary Goodwill agencies across the country including in cities far from border states where Hispanic/Latino1 populations are typically high are adapting to the needs of an increasingly large group of Latinos who need help finding a job. Two out of three community-based Goodwill agencies are helping Latinos find jobs. Two out of three also report that a large percentage of the population isn t getting the career development services they need. A three-year research project is expanding the understanding of Hispanic populations in the United States and the services they need.

6 The research shows Goodwill on the forefront of providing career development services for Latinos. The most successful programs demonstrate that a multifaceted and customized approach is required to help hispanics find jobs. The Enterprise in Motion research project, conducted by Goodwill Industries International (GII), has identified the effective practices in workforce development services to Latino populations by Goodwills. The research consisted of a membership-wide on-line survey participated in by 108 Goodwills, followed by phone interviews of Goodwills that customize services for Latino individuals. Twenty-seven Goodwills were invited to participate in structured phone interviews; 18 interviews were completed. Goodwill of North Georgia (GNG participated in the research as a new provider of services for hispanics in the Atlanta metropolitan area.)

7 GNG, along with 13 other Goodwills from across the country, were selected for inclusion in this resource guide. Findings from an extensive literature review are also included in the resource guide. 1 The terms Latino and Hispanic are used interchangeably throughout this document, based on the practices of the Census Bureau, the National Council of La Raza and the Pew Hispanic Center. The terms are intended to identify persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American, Dominican, and Spanish descent; they may be of any race. A three-year research project is expanding the understanding of Hispanic populations and the services they need. Five Essential Program Services Five core program areas are used by more than half of the Goodwills highlighted by this resource guide.

8 They are used to address the barriers and challenges associated with providing services to Hispanic individuals. ! 100% of Goodwills included in this research employ bilingual and if possible, bicultural staff. ! 92% of the Goodwills state that building partnerships in the Hispanic community is essential to establish credibility as effective service providers. ! 77% use bilingual signage, websites, and other Spanish/English materials to improve their effectiveness with Latino participants. ! 69% of Goodwills provide training classes in Spanish with bilingual instructors. ! 62% provide literacy, ESL, or Vocational ESL instruction, or are able to refer participants to community colleges or adult education providers for services.

9 Customized Enhancements of Workforce Development Program Services Twelve additional program areas emerged as customizations used most frequently by the Goodwills that participated in the research project s phone interviews. They enhance the five core services listed above, and reflect local community needs, as well as organizational priorities and capacities. Nearly half of the most successful programs are locating career development sites in or near neighborhoods with high percentages of Hispanic residents. The ability to create the capability to perform intake and work assessment in Spanish also is proving to be an effective and highly utilized tool for organizations working to help hispanics find jobs. About one-quarter of the Goodwills provide ESL, GED, and job skills training programs during non-traditional hours for underemployed Latinos and offer support and services to monolingual Spanish-speaking participants.

10 To increase their capacity to serve Spanish-speaking individuals, some Goodwills are providing Spanish language classes for their staff. They are also elevating their visibility in the Latino community by advertising in the Hispanic media and conducting outreach to migrant Workers . Almost half of the Goodwills featured in this resource guide are engaged in targeted employer outreach for Latinos. While some are working to educate employers about the benefits of bilingual employees in all types of occupations within their organizations, others work to identify local Goodwill Industries International, Inc. Opportunities for Hispanic/Latino Workers April 2007 Goodwill Industries International, Inc. Opportunities for Hispanic/Latino Workers April 2007 companies that have bilingual management staff.