Minister announces changes to help clients enter the
workforce Working with You: Improving Services for Clients unveiled

Joan Burke, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment (HRLE), was in Stephenville today to present the details of a new service delivery model that will help people prepare for, find and maintain long-term, meaningful employment. �Many of the department�s clients face significant challenges in their efforts to move from income support to the labour force,� said Minister Burke. �We are embracing a new approach that puts a greater emphasis on what we need to do, as a department, to ensure that our clients have every opportunity to make a successful transition from income support to the labour market. In our Western Region, we now have a system in place that will allow our staff to focus on career, employment and youth services, rather than on the administrative process of delivering cheques.�

All aspects of the service delivery model have been piloted in HRLE�s Western Region.
The key elements of the new model are a realignment of staff to help clients prepare for work and the use of new information technology systems that are more efficient and make it easier for clients to access the services available to them.

�In our Western Region, we have already doubled the number of staff dedicated to Career, Employment and Youth Services (CEYS) and are now able to provide this service in some communities where it has not been available before,� said Minister Burke. �We have also created the position of a job broker. Staff will work closely with economic development boards, the business community and other community agencies to identify employment opportunities and support our clients as they prepare for work. We have been tracking the impact of the new model and the results, to date, are very encouraging. Here in the Bay St. George area, under just one employment program, the number of placements in the past three months has exceeded the total number for all of last year.�

There are several factors driving the shift in service delivery at this time said the minister. �Over 50 per cent of all first-time applicants to the Income Support Program are between 18 and 29 years old. This statistic is quite alarming and it indicates to us that steps must be taken to work with our young people to ensure they move off the income support program and gain employment as quickly as possible. Enhancing our career, employment and youth services will help us help these young clients. In addition, it is anticipated that certain skill sets will be in short supply in the very near future. HRLE is working to forecast what shortages we may face and determine what skills employers will be seeking. This is critical information that will complement the efforts to help clients of the Income Support Program enter the labour force.�

These changes are being supported with a $2 million commitment in Budget 2005 to Career, Employment and Youth Services, an additional $600,000 for a High School Completion Initiative and $350,000 for an improved earnings exemption for income support clients who are working.

To improve access to services, TTY and Braille are now available for people who are hearing and visually impaired. The department has also introduced telephone application to allow people to apply for income support from the privacy of their homes. �People can simply call a toll-free number and be walked through the application with one of our staff. The response has been very positive with over 90 per cent of new applicants choosing to use this method. I am also very pleased with the development of a liaison social worker position which will ensure that some of our more vulnerable clients get the help they need,� continued the minister.

These changes are being introduced gradually across the province. It is anticipated that the new service delivery model will be in place throughout the province next fall.

Media contact: Jacquelyn Howard, communications (709) 729-4062 689-2624

2005 07 26                              1:35 p.m.