NJ Business Leadership Network Presentation

www.njchamber.com

Speaker:Donna Custard

Vice President

New JerseyChamber of CommerceFoundation

Dana Egreczky

Senior Vice PresidentWorkforce Development

PresidentNew Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Overviewof a Partnership

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Background New Jersey Chamber of Commerce

Represents business community.

Board of 70+ CEOs, presidents of

state’s most prestigious large and small

companies.

Consistently among top three issues

(state/national): Lack of qualified workforce

NJ Chamber established the

Chamber Foundation

Mission: Workforce

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



NJCC FoundationThree areas of interest:

Nursing Shortage Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

New Jersey Nursing Initiative.

Workforce pipeline: K-12

schools. LearnDoEarn – curriculum that

speaks to students and results in

improved performance.

Employment opportunities for

qualified people with disabilities. Will define later.

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Biz Status New Jersey

Once ranked in 24th place on best

places to do business lists

Now hovers at 49th

C-suite survey of members indicated

that over 93% do not plan to move out

of the state

Reason: New Jersey has the workforce

they need

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Better with Age? But what workforce? The BABY BOOMERS!

Most educated generation ever produced.

When retired, average national salary will

drop by 15%

Heavy impact on tax base and therefore

impact on school budgets, social services,

etc.

Most educated workers ever are retiring just

at point when fewer skilled workers are being

produced Technology makes the entire world every

child’s competition

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Changing Skills Why is this happening? Technology eliminates low skill jobs.

Toll takers replaced by?

Telephone operators replaced by?

Bank tellers replaced by?

Receptionists replaced by? High-skill jobs at risk as well.

Doctors replaced by?

Engineers (95% in Asia) Technology makes every person in the

world competitors in access to college

and available jobs.

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Even Now Only 20% of employers will hire individuals

with only high school diplomas. Over 84% of jobs available in next decade

will require college degree. Over 90% of fastest growing jobs will be

middle skills jobs requiring REAL high school

diploma and industry certification or

Associate’s Degree. Minimum ticket to middle class – annual

salary of $40,000 for family of four.

Gateway to non-remedial county college

course work is Algebra I.

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Other Countries In 2005, over 70,000 American

students participated in the

Westinghouse Science Fair. In that same year . . .

0ver 6,000,000 Chinese students participated in the same event.

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Workforce Impact Utility company needed to fill dozens of

linespersons jobs. $40-50,000 per year with benefits,

internal promotion, tuition plan, with

overtime up to $60,000 - $80,000

per year. Conducted five job fairs across New

Jersey in urban areas.

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



One Company Educational requirement: high school

diploma. First gateway to job – high school

diploma . . harvested 550 recent high

school graduates.

Second gateway to job . . . .

Aptitude test math at the seventh

grade level.

Results:

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



One Company 50% of applicants (275) – all high

school graduates – could not pass

seventh grade math test. Third gateway to job:

Standard employment checks:

Drug Test

Criminal Background

Credit Check

Reference Check

Result . . .

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



One Company Of the original 550 applicants,

only TWO were admitted to

apprenticeship program.

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Impact on PWD Highest drop-out rates in high school. Confront amazing challenges in

accessing higher education. Unemployment rates average 9.5% in

recession. 3% people with college degrees

19% people with no college

PWD historically have highest

unemployment rates.

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



What We Can Do Alert young PWD that education counts more

than they think. Make sure all PWD – and their families and

service providers – understand that production

trumps disability every time. Bring every person to capacity so those with

limitations can receive the support they need Workers = taxpayers

High-wage workers = More taxes

Stop expecting business to hire for soft

reasons: adapt or die. Completely change the approach to business

in its relationship to PWD.

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



NJCC Foundation Did Used these exact principles to develop a set

of programs and activities that would help

prepare more PWD for the workforce.

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



NJBLN Business Leadership Network

Established in 2006 with funding from

Kessler Foundation

Sanctioned affiliate of USBLN

Employer-led

Mission:

Address the business imperative of

including people with disabilities in the

workforce

Promote positive employment outcomes

for people with disabilities

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Inaugural Decisions

Established leadership committee

Differ from other BLNs across country (50+)

by focusing on programs, not membership

Also differ by focusing on skills of candidates

rather than employer interest in hiring

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Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Original Scope of Work

Provided public relations support for

Disability Mentoring Day(significant increase in business participation)

Established online job board:www.AccessibleEmployment.org

Career webinars for students in middle

and high school featuring people with

disabilities

SKILLSFirst Conference

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Current Scope of Work

Provides foundation for partnership with DDS

Promote Disability Supplier Diversity

Program

Promote Disabilities At Work

Increase skill levels of people with

disabilities

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



DSDP

Promote Disability Supplier Diversity Program

(DSDP)

Program of USBLN

Process leading to national credential

certifying that a business is ‘disabled-

owned’

Enables corporate strategy of diversifying

supplier chain

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



NJBLN Role in DSDP

Recruit disabled-owned businesses into

process

Status: 2 businesses completed

application and awaiting site visits; 3

others in hopper

Recruit and train volunteers for mandatory

site visits to applicant businesses

Help successful applicants be ‘ready for

prime time’

Promote use of credential among

businesses in state

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Disabilities At Work

Effort to identify and reward businesses

that go ‘beyond compliance’ in hiring

practice and/or support people with

disabilities in other ways

Encourage consumers to patronize

businesses that have earned the right to

display the DAW logo on wall plaques,

windows, websites

People with disabilities control over

$200 billion dollars in disposable

income

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



DAW Radio VoiceAmerica Business Channel – Live

Internet Talk Radio Live on April 14, 2010

Promote the DAW mission – feature

business that support people with

disabilities

Include areas of broad interest to

people with disabilities, their families,

their employers.

Show sponsorships available

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Third Component Least defined Focus on skill levels

Glaring incongruity between available jobs and

skill levels most pronounced among people with

disabilities

Exacerbated by lack of understanding of

demands of workplace

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Build Understanding High School teacher who tells her special

needs students that they don’t have to work

as hard as other students and will never

have to worry about getting a job because

companies want to hire people with

disabilities

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Build Understanding Service provider who announced that she tells

her clients to lie on their resumes

(number two reason for termination)

Statements from multiple human resource

individuals saying that people with disabilities

come to interviews under-prepared and under-

dressed

www.njchamber.com


Vice President


Dana Egreczky



Build Understanding Employer stated that she hired 13 people

with disabilities but wound up with 39

service providers on site every week who

took all parking spaces Chamber survey that indicated that 94 of

100 business people did not know where

to start in the system to find qualified

people with disabilities

(six cited Department of Veteran Affairs)