Host Alexis Franks and guest Sarita Alston reveal how American Job Centers connect people to jobs, training, and resources while strengthening communities.
Podcast Transcript
Alexis Franks
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, all you workforce warriors across the country. My name is Alexis Franks, and I am your Director of Membership for the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals. And in today’s episode, we are recording live from our 41st Annual Conference in Virginia Beach. Today we’ll be peering into the backbone of the public workforce system America’s Job Centers, also known as AJC, so you’ll hear us refer to them as a little bit of both throughout the episode today. Across the country, these centers play a vital role in connecting individuals to training, employment and support services in local communities and behind the scenes, it’s really one stop operators who help ensure that those connections run smoothly, effectively, aligning partners, programs, and performance. So to help us unpack what one stops actually do, we are joined today by Miss Sarita Alston, the One Stop coordinator with Ross Innovative Employment Solutions. Sarita, welcome to you. So, we’re gonna do what we call passing the mic, and we’ll dive right into our discussion today. So, for those that are newer to workforce development, first, can you tell us a little bit about where you are in the country, what you do, and your journey into workforce?
Sarita Alston
Love that. Thank you again for having me. I always enjoy NAWDP. Always look forward to it, so thanks for having me. Today, I serve as one stop operator for the American Job Centers in Greater Memphis. It’s a region, a four-county region, in the southwest corner of Tennessee.
Alexis Franks
Great, great. Well, we are, we know that there’s some great work that’s happening down in Tennessee. Great to have you with us. So, can you start off with just explaining what the American Job Centers are and the core of the services they’re designed to provide.
Sarita Alston
Absolutely, so I often refer to the American Job Centers. I tell people all the time that AJCs are not just a place, they’re a system of partners who collaborate and work together to serve individuals as we build out the workforce in our region and so more specifically for individuals, we provide any level of service relevant to job readiness for career advancement, literally developing individuals for the workforce. So whatever that might look like for you, help with a resume or training to learn a new skill, earning a high set or high school equivalency credential, anything that will help you get to the next step in building out what you want your career to be.
Alexis Franks
That’s awesome. That is a great description. We are aware that most people know of the unemployment office, or what used to be the unemployment office, but now the design of a one stop is really to help re-employ or to provide skills to those in the individual communities that need it. So clearing up that for us is a great start to the conversation. So thank you.
Sarita Alston
Not so much the unemployment office. More of the employment office.
Alexis Franks
Absolutely, absolutely. All right, so what exactly is the role of a one stop operator, and how do you support that system alignment for those in your community that need Workforce Services,?
Sarita Alston
Thanks for asking, being an OSO is probably my favorite job I’ve ever had as the OSO, as mentioned earlier, the American Job Center is a system of partners. So there are a core group of agencies providing different services contingent on what the individual needs. And so there has to be some coordination in those services. The main thing is that we don’t operate in silos. And what that means is that everybody’s not in their corner doing their thing. There are several barriers that individuals or job seekers come in with, and so it’s my job to make sure that everyone’s working together with their service delivery, to make sure we serve the whole the whole individual.
Alexis Franks
That is awesome. That’s awesome. Well, we know that there’s definitely a value of having a one stop operator. And really the work that I’ve done, too, has been you’ve been really that liaison between everyone and really herding all the cats, as we might say, sometimes, just to make sure that the goal is the same, the purpose is the same for programs and partners. And that we work together, play well in the sandbox. So that’s huge, and it’s a major piece and component of workforce as an ecosystem of how we’re helping our customers. So that’s great. We appreciate the work that you’re doing as that one stop operator. Okay, so in your experience, what are some of the bigger challenges that you’ve seen in the workforce system, or as a one stop operator with making sure those programs are aligned?
Sarita Alston
Well, the workforce equals ecosystem is so robust, it is so large, it’s easy to just, you know, pull away when you hone in on your work and what you know what’s required of you in a day, it’s easy to just settle there. And so the challenge, as the OSO is making sure, you know, our partners don’t forget that you have, you know, this is a partnership, and making sure that there is collaboration. There are so many resources, and ultimately, being the OSO makes it easy, so everyone doesn’t have to remember everything. If there’s a direction or a resource or, you know, anything that’s necessary, the OSO service is central, like a nucleus. And so as long most information lands with us and our team, my team, and so we, you know, you really do have to think about it like an operator. You know, the name is intentional, but more so to your point, to your question about the barriers, they change every day in workforce, we see a lot of the network is always growing. Partnership really is the name of this game. And so, you know, I guess in my day to day, the biggest challenge, which really is a great problem to have, is making sure that we hone in and absorb the information and resources that are available, so that we know how to get it out to the people who need it the most.
Alexis Franks
Right. That’s absolutely important, that sharing of information, that’s really the start. And so for you, what are some of the ways that you all share out information as it comes to you, in a way that it reaches all of your partners and essentially the community?
Sarita Alston
Perfect. So you know, social media is our friend, yes, but you have to be considerate that not everyone’s digital literacy level is the same, and so we still lean heavily on our local newspapers, local media, the news stations, but then word of mouth is everything delivering good service, or someone who’s able to find that job, find childcare resources, help with transportation and other supportive services. Our individuals spread the word. Individuals, job seekers, the people we serve, they spread the word for us in the greatest way. Also, we host in Greater Memphis, we host a monthly partner meeting. COVID led us to digital platforms with hosting meetings, but it actually turned, you know, it worked out to be the best for us because it didn’t break up everyone’s day with traveling to one location. So we still host that meeting in a virtual space. We have upwards of 60 partners, and so it’s just a collaborative space to share information, to meet someone new, especially when you have people, new people coming into workforce or into a partner agency. It’s a great place to land, to get to know the landscape and the who’s who. It’s open. It’s a public meeting. And so I do enjoy it. I really enjoy my partner meeting, because I get to see all of the partners. It’s a collaborative space, information shared. That’s my happy place, always. And then, you know, quarterly cross trainings with our partner staff to make sure that everyone is aware of what the other partners are doing, but also that they also have all have access to the same information and training, and that we that quarterly cross training gives us an opportunity to make sure that our goal set aligns and that we’re all moving forward in the same direction.
Alexis Franks
I love that. I love that. The cross training piece is really key, because we can share and say that we have a partner all day, but if you understand the services that they provide, what how eligibility looks for them, and how things may change, what services they’re allowed to provide through their grants, that makes the difference for the customer’s outcome.
Sarita Alston
Absolutely. And then you know, you have to consider the broad things, the big things that we don’t talk about in day to day, like the legislation around workforce and how that’s evolving different titles under WIOA, things can look different. And so quarterly cross trainings give us an opportunity to all come to the table to talk, you know, like I said, just through that lens, to make sure we’re all with the resources we have, still heading down the same path as we serve our customers. Absolutely. I also want to add, when we talk about American Job Centers. We always talk about it in the capacity of how we serve individuals, but ultimately, the American Job Center is also a robust system for businesses and employers. And so in Greater Memphis, we’re working now to build that out to make sure that it has a visual look, a tangible space. So we’ve recently branded a portion of our newest American Job Center in Greater Memphis too, we labeled it. It’s big sign as the Business Services Center. It’s a huge space. We’re fortunate to have such a nice center now in Memphis, but it’s a place that we can host hiring events. Employers can come in with access to technology to meet directly with job seekers. And so I want I just, I get excited about that, that we get to offer this level of service, because there is a directory of services for employers as well. And I want to make sure that we amplify that part too.
Alexis Franks
Yes, I’m so glad that you mentioned that it is increasingly important that we involve our employers in the work that we do, even in advocating for the services that we provide, ultimately, that’s their benefit. They’re able to have a talent pipeline that they’ve created and customized based on the services that we provide in the one stop center. So that is huge. I’m so glad and happy to hear that you all have a business center-center now, and I’m hoping that that continues to grow, and you see employers come in and share in that space as well. Alright, so I know we’ve had you for a few minutes here. We’re not going to keep you too much longer, Sarita, but I do have one more question for you, for any of our listeners that may be in the workforce ecosystem, and that may be trying to connect with the One Stop operator, or trying to connect with an America’s Job Center. What advice would you give to them? What advice would you give to other one stop operators for how they can be successful in this work?
Sarita Alston
I love both of those questions. And so right off, off the cuff, I know the channels in Tennessee, and so I have to assume, because this is federal, you know, these are federal programs, that it looks the same in most states. But you can always just search. You can do a Google search for an American Job Center in your where you live, especially in rural communities. Because I’m a rural girl, so in your community, if people still refer to anything as the unemployment office, find out where that is now, and I’m almost certain that that’s your American Job Center. In Tennessee, we have a statewide site, tnvirtualajc.com, that will that lands with an assessment just a couple of questions to help the job seeker learn or employer figure out what their specific need is, because that’s important. When you go into an American Job Center, you don’t have to know everything that’s available, but it is helpful if you can articulate what your need is or what your goal is. As workforce development professionals, we can get you where you need to go from there. Okay, what was the second question? It was a good one.
Alexis Fanks
Anyone? Any advice?
Sarita Alston
Yes, my biggest advice to America, to one stop operators, is make sure, sometimes, because our work is so robust and there’s a big need for the work that we do, don’t let the tug on you keep you from continuing to connect with the customers and the community. I am intentional about making sure I still get out into the community, talk to employers, attend community events, so that I continue to know what the needs are, and I know how to serve the people who need us the most. So, I encourage you to make sure that you continue to keep that cusp, keep that grasp on what’s happening in the communities that you serve.
Alexis Fanks
That is great advice. That is great advice. Thank you so much for sharing with us, Sarita, and here on Workforce On The Mic, presented by NAWDP, we have what we call mic drop moments. So you’ve given us a couple today to take away with us. If you are a job seeker, if you’re looking to connect job seekers, and you’re in the workforce ecosystem, we hope that you take away from today’s conversation to find the American Job Center, look for us. See what services are available. Come into the building. Use the space, we want you there. We welcome the foot traffic Absolutely. And your other mic drop moment, I would add, is to make sure, as one stop operators, that you’re still connected, that you stay with others and learn more about the resources available in the community so you can bring them back into your centers. That makes the difference for our customers every single day in the workforce, services we provide and so Serena, we thank you so much.
Sarita Alston
Thank you for having me.
Alexis Franks
Yes, absolutely. I told you we would not keep you for long. We hope you’re enjoying the conference.
Sarita Alston
If you are not attending NAWDP as a workforce development professional, I encourage you to join the organization, attend the annual event and earn your certification as a workforce development professional.
Alexis Franks
Thank you. Thank you so much, and thank you again for joining us. We will continue to work with you. We are so appreciative of having you as a member and enjoy the rest of the conference.
