1 IMPACT YEAR
August 1, 2023 August 31, 2024
WorkAdvance is an innovative program that boosts the skills of entry-level applicants and individuals belonging to populations that have been under-represented in the manufacturing sector. to
PA CT
The comprehensive program fuels long-term success. It starts with grassroots outreach and targeted recruitment. Then our community’s experts provide career readiness training, work experience opportunities, and guidance in career planning.
Recognizing that support goes beyond training, WorkAdvance provides wraparound assistance to address unique needs and circumstances, such as transportation and childcare.
OVERALL PROGRAM STATISTICS
Applicants Accept Program Spot
Program Acceptors Start Training
Program Starters Complete Training
Applicants
WorkAdvance Findlay invites all individuals interested in jumpstarting their career to apply for program participation. Individuals complete an online application, providing their demographics, reasons for applying, and past work experience. All applicants then receive a follow-up call from WorkAdvance Findlay’s screening partner (the Financial Opportunity Center [FOC]) to further discuss the program and determine if the program is the right fit for the applicant. Together, the FOC and applicants agree to a partnership in training and coaching.
OUTSIDE RING
Findlay Resident
Non-Findlay Resident
Not Justice Impacted
18 5 Applicants
MIDDLE RING Approached by Outreach Coordinator
Justice Impacted
INSIDE RING
No Public Assistance
SNAP Food Benefit Recipient
Medicaid Recipient
Multiple Public Assistance Program Recipient
Participants
38 Years Old
54 Percent
Average participant age. Ages ranged from 18 to 60.
Disproportionate number of males to females for age groups 30-39 and 50-59.
Quantify their “Family Size” as one (1). The second most common size of family was three (3) people.
20 Percent
Participants of color. Self-identified races include Black (7), Asian (2), Alaskan Native/ American Indian (2), and Mixed (1).
Participants spend two weeks honing their employability skills and learning foundational manufacturing concepts.
• The Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) conducts 30 hours of employability training, ranging from conflict resolution to emotional regulation to financial literacy.
• Owens Community College’s ASPIRE program provides 20 hours of math refresher. Lessons include fractions, decimals, measurements, and geometry.
• The remaining 30 hours of instruction uses ToolingU, an online learning platform. Participants work as a group and individually to complete up to 27 different modules.
In total, WorkAdvance Findlay serviced 63 participants during this reporting period.
15
Points
89
Percent
Average increase in math scores during the two-week training. Scores based upon standardized pre- and post-tests conducted via Owens’ ASPIRE.
840
Modules
Average score on posttest for each completed module within Tooling U’s Certified Manufacturing Associate curriculum.
Number of total modules completed by participants. Modules associated with Tooling U’s Certified Manufacturing Associate curriculum.
Completers
Participants who complete the two-week training continue receiving services and support through WorkAdvance Findlay for another year. This support includes:
• career and financial coaching through the Financial Opportunity Center (FOC);
• up to $500 in work supplies/equipment via a City Apparel & Merch webstore;
• a Chromebook to continue online learning and email access; and
• a 365-day subscription to ToolingU’s online learning courses.
The program’s premier benefit involves access to the FOC’s career and financial coaches. These coaches help program graduates find their footing in a rapidly changing work environment. The coaches serve as additional support when barriers to work and job success seem insurmountable. Individuals receive help securing transportation, arranging for bank accounts to deposit their work checks, improving their credit scores to secure stable housing, and more. The coaches continue to check in with program completers on a routine basis, making sure to keep WORK PLACEMENT and RETENTION the key objectives for graduates. 90% Findlay Residents
Top Workplace Values
Results from a composite analysis of completers’ Career Orientation Placement and Evaluation Surveys (COPES) show the following as their top workplace values:
LEADERSHIP
• Key Player
• Important
AESTHETIC • Artistic
Emotional Sensitivity
CONFORMITY • Clear Directions
Supervision
ORDERLINESS
Action Plans
Organized
RECOGNITION
Be Known
Admired
