Program Description

Program/Practice Description: The JET program is designed to assist participants with reducing their dependence on public assistance and moving them toward economic self-sufficiency. The JET program provides personalized attention to the needs of participants, overcoming barriers to employment and providing supports for participants to secure and keep jobs. Work readiness activities, such as education, training, and life skills instruction, are offered.

Background/Program History: The Work First program preceded the JET program. The primary goal of the Work First program was to move participants into jobs. The challenge was not merely finding a job but helping participants keep the job and stay permanently involved with the workforce. The JET program came out of a welfare reform work group organized to develop a new approach to creating permanent workforce status by implementing mandatory partners, which included the Michigan Works! Agency, the Department of Human Services, and Michigan Rehabilitation Services for Department of Human Services clients. The program began as a pilot program in a few counties and expanded statewide, replacing Work First programs.

Career Alliance wanted the JET program to be successful and a voice for the people, so it allowed participants to comment on what they received from the program. These comments helped develop the JET program.

Innovations and Results: The focus of the JET program is holistic, tailoring supports and services to the individual needs of participants. The JET program prepares participants for the workforce by connecting them with work readiness supports, including education and training at multiple levels. Career and technical training are focused on high demand jobs in the area (e.g., technology, health care). The JET program includes support services that help address barriers to employment, such as substance abuse, with the goal of reducing and removing those barriers so individuals can participate in work or work preparation. The JET program provides services to help participants secure a job, such as transportation vouchers, car repair, and child care. It also provides support for overall life functioning, such as nutrition information and financial literacy.

Operations: Participants receive customized services. Following intake and orientation, participants are assigned to an employment and life coach. Participants have a one-on-one appointment with the employment and life coach, along with intensive case management and job development assistance. Participants complete the Work Keys assessment and other tests that provide information on the participant's background and barriers to employment. The assessments allow for tailoring the JET program to the individual's needs. The employment and life coach places the participant into core and non-core activities based on individual need. For example, participants without a high school diploma are allowed to enroll in GED preparation courses, and those with a high school diploma and low reading level are allowed to enroll in a remedial education program.

Participants who are re-referred to JET by the Department of Human Services begin the discovery process with their employment and life coach. The discovery process allows the employment and life coach to explore the reasons those participants are repeaters in order to prevent them from having the same experience.

An individual who does not participate in any part of the program will be offered a triage meeting with all the partners (Michigan Works! Agency, Department of Human Services, Michigan Rehabilitation Services) to explain the non-participation and seek solutions to return to the program.

Funding: JET program partners receive State and Federal funds, allocated on a yearly basis. Funds are also available through grants that Career Alliance and community partners have secured. For example, Career Alliance received a pilot grant from Microsoft that allowed JET program participants to learn computer skills.

Staffing: The JET program has four service providers, who must have employment and life coaches (similar to case managers) and job developers, along with a Department of Human Services and Michigan Rehabilitation Services representative, to assist with client needs. The size of the staff at each service provider varies. The Career Alliance and its partners hold meetings with the service providers, which includes training and technical assistance.

Important Partnerships: The JET program is made possible through the partnerships between Career Alliance (a Michigan Works! Agency), the Department of Human Services, and Michigan Rehabilitation Services. A major goal of the program is to address barriers related to employment, such as substance abuse. The Department of Human Services and Michigan Rehabilitation Services understand the barriers to be addressed, allowing for individualization of the JET program to meet participant needs.