A Look at Knowledge Management and the Future of Youth Employment Services

Matthew A PolandPA 755

Dec 15, 2011

Outline

Youth Employment Services (YES) Defined

Ties to and Education Work-Based Learning

Role of Information Technology and Telecommunications in YES

Knowledge Management and YES as Learning Organizations

Potential Solutions Q + A

Youth Employment Services (YES)

Workforce development services specific to young people, with different needs than adults

Soft skill training: resume writing, interviewing and job search strategy

Hard skill training (office): software applications, typing, filing, etc.

Job placement and work-based learning programs

Challenge: not all YES providers understand the value of KM and quality is sporadic

Connection to Education

“Work-based learning (WBL) activities focus on the interaction between the school and the community as a means of promoting vocational development, career awareness, and employee readiness.” (Curtin & Garcia,2011, p. 31)

Youth employment services and WBL strategies will rely heavily on technology and knowledge management to deliver their services, make critical decisions and to implement solutions

Youth Employment Service Providers…

Youth Employment Service Providers…

Knowledge Management +YES

Social Media

Cloud Computing

Knowledge and

Education

CRM / Databases

Texting and Email

IT and Telecommunications in YES

Texting and Social Media Use of texting services and social media are an

important tool for engaging youth and on the rise in use, especially compared to email (NAA Foundation, 2010)

Having a social media outlet not only allows you to connect to them, but also to their networks cheaply and instantaneously (Randolph, 2011)

Problem - Email is still the predominant form of telecommunication in the professional world and it seems to be vastly underused by young people, leaving them at a disadvantage when entering the work world

Sample emails from youth…

“Mah number is 415 555 5100 call me a.s.a.p”

“yes mam i am just give me a call im sure i was one of them sumtimes i dnt understand my self lol thanks talk to u soon”

IT and Telecommunications in YES

Databases and Customer Relations Management Software (CRM) As Patel (2011) notes, CRM like Salesforce.com

can synthesize data sources an organization has to understand and build relationships; both internal and external

Broader use of CRM software would allow YES providers to identify who their top referral partners are, which employers are hiring the most youth and how active youth are

Problem – CRM not originally designed for non-profit work and has inherent bugs

Salesforce.com and JVS example

IT and Telecommunications in YES

Cloud Computing Multiple uses – Google Docs /Gmail,

accounting software for financials, desktop publishing software for creating marketing material or cloud-based survey software such as Survey Monkey for gathering feedback on their services.

Problem – Security risks and potential for data loss with cloud computing (Kirkham, 2011) – big issue for non-profits (HIPAA)

Knowledge Management and YES as Learning Organizations

YES are seeing the value of KM; more pressure to use data-driven programming from funders, community, government, etc

“21st Century Skills” – Forum for Youth Investment evaluates eight program measurement tools to help YES providers

Adoption of ongoing learning/professional development for all their employees

Knowledge Management and YES as Learning Organizations

Online learning is becoming more prevalent, but potentially harder for youth (and adults) to pick the good from the bad

Problem - Students attending for-profit schools are more likely to default on loans (GAO, 2010)

Data to the rescue! GAO released a report in 2010 with case studies of 15

for-profit educational institutions providing false salaries for entry-level jobs in the field after graduation, bogus graduation rates, misleading info on being employed after graduation and some schools even encouraged students to falsify their FAFSA in order to qualify for loans (GAO, 2010)

More knowledge about good and bad schools will become more readily available

Recommendations…

Texting / Social Media – YES should balance casual and professional comm. with youth

Databases/CRM – Apps that fix the problem, special non-profit CRM/databases (ETO)

Cloud Computing – encryption, understanding of HIPAA, use of multiple cloud providers

Educational Options – using CA DOE K-12 listing and similar clearinghouse for data on education programs; more stringent policy on institutions eligible for federal loans (in the works)

QUESTIONS?

Armbrust, M., Fox, A., Griffith, R., Joseph, A.D., Katz, R., Konwinski, A., Lee, G., Patterson, D., Rabkin, A., Stoica, I. & Zaharia, M. (2010). A View of Cloud Computing. Communications of the ACM, 53(4), p. 50-58. California Department of Education (CA DOE). (2011). Online Education Index. Retrieved December 1, 2011 from http://pubs.cde.ca.gov/tcsii/onlineeducation/onlineeducindex.aspx Campbell, Willa. (2008) Making the connection to K--12 education for noncollege-bound students: The voices of students and workers address school experiences and workforce preparation. Retrieved Nov 23, 2011 from http://books.google.com/books?id=3mYZHOZyEN4C&lpg=PA1&ots=4L7hgRBOsP&dq=%20workforce%20%22k%2012%22&lr&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q=workforce%20%22k%2012%22&f=false  Cavanaugh, C.S., Barbour, M.K., & Clark, T. (2009). Research and Practice in K-12 Online Learning: A Review of Open Access Literature. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. Retrieved Dec 1, 2011 from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/607/1182 Curtin, K.A. & Garcia, J. (2011). ImprovingWork Performance for Adolescents with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: A Comparison of Two Work-Based Learning Interventions. Journal of Rehabilitation,77( 1), p. 31-39. Kirkham, J. (2011). Briefing Paper: Cloud Computing. (Unpublished briefing paper). San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA. Lester, S. & Costley, C. (2010). Work-Based Learning at Higher Education Level: Value, Practice and Critique. Studies in Higher Education,35(5), p. 561–575. Newspaper Association of America (NAA) Foundation. (2010). Youth Are Moving to Mobile Devices for Their Communication Needs: R You Here? Retrieved December 4, 2011 from http://www.naafoundation.org/Research/Foundation/Youth-Content/~/media/NAAFoundation/Files/Research/smartphone_report.ashx Patel, N. (2011). Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) Software; A Very Useful Tool, But Not a Panacea. (Unpublished briefing paper). San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA. Poland, M. A. (2011). Cloud Computing; A Key to Knowledge Management 2.0. (Unpublished briefing paper). San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA. Randolph, A. (2011). Briefing Paper #1: Social Media in the Public Sector. (Unpublished briefing paper). San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA. Schaffhauser, D. (2011). Report: Gartner Says Move to Cloud-based Email Slowing. The Journal. Retrieved November30, 2011 from http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/09/29/report-gartner-says-move-to-cloudbased-email-slowing.aspx Salesforce.com. (2011). Retrieved November 26, 2011 from http://www.salesforcefoundation.org/products/nonprofit_solution/success_stories United States Government Accountability Office. (2010). For-Profit Colleges: Undercover Testing Finds Colleges Encouraged Fraud and Engaged in Deceptive and Questionable Marketing Practices. Testimony Before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, U.S. Senate. Washington, D.C.: Author. Wang, L., Laszewski, G., Younge, A., He, X., Kunze, M., Tao, J., Fu, C. (2010). Cloud Computing: A Perspective Study. New Generation Computing, 28, p. 137-146.  Wilson-Ahlstrom, A., Yohalem, N.& DuBois, D. (2011). From Soft Skills to Hard Data: Measuring Youth Program Outcomes. Washington, D.C.: The Forum on Youth Investment