Executive Summary

Twin Cities RISE!: Customer-Driven Job Preparation

Steve Rothschild
Chairman, Steering Committee of Twin Cities RISE!

April 1994

The Twin Cities currently faces crises of poverty, unemployment, family disintegration and social decay. A quarter of our residents live on income less than $12,000 per year, and the unemployment rate stands at 18 percent for persons of color. Over half the persons of color in the Twin Cities now live below the poverty line.

These trends will worsen, along with their economic and social consequences, as joblessness and underemployment persist. The problems are particularly severe among adult men in communities of color. But at the core of these trends lies a significant opportunity. The Minnesota Department of Jobs and Training reports about 8,000 skilled job openings per year in the Metropolitan area.

Local human resources officers confirm the shortage of skills in many occupations, and an acute shortage of skilled persons of color. By the year 2000, 53 percent of people entering the work-force in this nation will be adults of color, so the need to address this opportunity with a new and more comprehensive strategy is urgent.

Twin Cities RISE! intends to do just that by investing in previously underemployed adults -- primarily men of color -- who will then be prepared to hold skilled jobs that pay at least $20,000 a year. Twin Cities RISE! is employer-driven in a way that distinguishes it from other job preparation pro-grams for the poor. Local employers have been actively involved in the program's design, and Twin Cities RISE! intends to be their preferred supplier of skilled human resources.

The key to successful job training for long-term and under- and unemployed adults is to identify employers who need skilled workers and then develop a working relationship that assures appropriate personal development and job training. Quality specifications and competency standards for Twin Cities RISE! will be based on employers' requirements. This will ensure that services and training are upgraded regularly and realigned to meet employers' changing needs.

Rather than duplicate existing resources, Twin Cities RISE! will address its participants' educational, vocational, and personal needs through existing suppliers--much as an HMO contracts with suppliers of health-care services. The best suppliers will be strengthened and others will be encouraged to upgrade services.

Twin Cities RISE! will help participants learn to learn. Participants will focus on developing interpersonal, problem-solving and team-work skills. Job retention is the program's primary goal.

Twin Cities RISE! builds on the past by using knowledge gained from previous national attempts to help unemployed adults gain job stability. It innovates for the future by making customers, i.e, employers, an integral part of planning, implementation, and oversight. Training will be connected to real opportunities.

Twin Cities RISE! meets the needs of local business for skilled workers by capitalizing on previously untapped resources, creating stronger businesses and more robust communities.

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