Contact us:

Phone       
773.336.6086

E-mail
ntjn@heartlandalliance.org

Address                        
National Transitional Jobs Network
in c/o Heartland Alliance   
4411 N. Ravenswood         
2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60640                         

Program origin:

Philadelphia’s transitional work program, Philadelphia@Work, was developed through a collaborative effort of the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and Public/Private Ventures. In January 1998, funding from the Pew Charitable Trusts and a funding commitment from the City of Philadelphia (utilizing Welfare to Work funds) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (utilizing TANF funds) enabled these groups to create a new, independent nonprofit organization, the Transitional Work Corporation, to administer the program.

Scale:

Transitional Work Corporation (TWC) serves about 1,500 individuals per year. The program has the capacity to serve 750 clients at any given time and on average serves between 500 and 600 clients at any given time.

Eligibility:

Philadelphia@Work serves clients who have received TANF funds for at least 24 months. This coincides with the mandatory work requirement of 20 hours of work per week. TWC is one of a number of allowable work activities. Clients who choose TWC typically have the following characteristics: low education levels, low basic skills, little to no prior work experience or a history of job cycling, a history of cycling through employment and training programs, a history of substance abuse, a history of mental health issues, a history of domestic violence, and, on average, three dependent children.

Funding:

Initial funding for the program included TANF funds (through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) and Welfare to Work funds (through the City of Philadelphia) used to fund program operations, and resources from the Pew Charitable Trusts funded all administrative overhead for the program. Since that time, the City of Philadelphia has expended its Welfare to Work funds, resources have been shifted and TWC has expanded its use of private resources. Philadelphia@Work is currently funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (utilizing Welfare to Work discretionary funds), the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Program Design:

Once structured around programmatic tasks, TWC restructured its staff operations in the summer of 2001 to organize all staff around the participant. TWC created a team-based work environment; participants are assigned a team of staff who work with them from their first day of transitional work throughout two full quarters of retention services.

Participants begin the program with a two-week mandatory orientation. The emphasis of this orientation is work and acclimating the participant to the working world. Additionally, the orientation curriculum includes soft skills training, resume development, interviewing for transitional employment, introductory computer training, and employment paperwork/tax assistance.

All participants are placed in subsidized jobs in public or nonprofit agencies by the last day of orientation. The majority of transitional placements are in the clerical, custodial, child care, and health care arenas. Participants work for 25 hours per week and are supervised by both their TWC career advisor and an on-site “work partner.” Work partners, permanent staff of the work sites, serve as mentors and provide direct supervision to each TWC participant. All work partners receive extensive training by TWC and receive a stipend of $49 per month for their time commitment.

TWC models all of its programs after the corporate work environment. Located in Philadelphia’s downtown business district, the atmosphere around the office exemplifies corporate America, from its office space to its job titles, policies, and procedures. TWC is the employer for its participants and treats all participants as employees rather than clients.

All participants are paid minimum wage ($6.25) an hour for 25 hours a week of subsidized employment. Additionally they must participate in 10 hours a week of unpaid training. The training curriculum includes 26 ten-hour modules that address employment-related skills, basic math and literacy skills, computer skills, and additional soft skills training. All modules focus on employment-related skills, and all employees are introduced to computers and basic computer software regardless of their employment focus.

Participants stay in transitional jobs for a maximum of 6 months. During this time all participants receive supportive services from the Commonwealth (transportation, child care and clothing allowances). After participants have worked at a host site for 3-4 months, they undergo an assessment that includes an intake of hard skills, soft skills, and experience and a review of their certifications or licenses. Staff work with the participant to find permanent, unsubsidized employment. TWC permanent placements typically offer 35 hours of work a week and pay $7.50-$8.00 per hour. Most jobs offer benefits within 90 days of hire. (TWC does not target unsubsidized employers who offer less than 30 hours of work per week.)

Outcome Information:

TWC has achieved the following outcomes:

• 5,152 total enrollments between September 14, 1998 and December 31, 2001

• 1,603 clients were placed in unsubsidized employment

• Unsubsidized placements offered an average wage of $7.30 per hour

• 55.58% of all unsubsidized placements offered benefits

• Unsubsidized placements offered an average of 35.8 hours work per week

• 66.74% of those placed at least 180 days ago retained unsubsidized employment for two full quarters following placement
  

Key Program Statistics:

• Hourly wage for Transitional Job: $6.25

• Hours of work per week: 25 hrs + 10 hrs unpaid training

• Maximum time allowed in program: 6 months

• Rate of permanent employment: 60%