Platform to Employment (P2E) is an innovative, nationally recognized initiative that focuses on the need for long-term unemployed (LTU) individuals to return to work and employers’ need to build a strong workforce. First launched in 2011 by The WorkPlace in Connecticut, the P2E 2013 program in San Diego offered LTU individuals intensive and comprehensive training, and employers the opportunity to evaluate P2E participants as potential employees risk-free.
In 2013, SDWP enrolled 24 participants in its P2E pilot program:
- 92% successfully completed training
- 82% were placed in subsidized employment
- 100% were hired on full-time
AJCC Business Service Representative Patricia Devereaux shared a success story from one P2E participant with whom she worked.
“Madeline, a Platform to Employment program participant, was a discouraged mature worker. Years of a brutal job market and endless job applications had left her frustrated and fearful about the future. We began with changing those attitudes through consistent focus on the possibility of a better future. Once Madeline truly realized and believed that she could succeed, we were able to concentrate on playing to her strengths and applying only to positions that matched her administrative skill set.
“Madeline had wisely kept those skills current during her unemployment by taking several San Diego continuing education courses. A more hopeful attitude and recent P2E job-readiness skills training made Madeline more likely to earn the employment we longed for. She was also excellent at staying in touch and responding to all job leads. I knew we were working well together and on the same page when I sent Madeline a job lead to review and she told me she had already applied for it—an opening as an administrative assistant at The Daily Transcript newspaper.
“Knowing how ‘the personal touch’ can make a difference to employers, prior to Madeline’s interview, I stopped by The Daily Transcript to drop off information about the San Diego Metro Region Career Centers and the P2E Program, especially the employer wage-subsidy opportunity. Guess what? Madeline was hired just a few days after she applied, and given the job permanently before the end of the wage subsidy period! Madeline reports that she is enjoying her work and doing well.”
P2E offers three prongs of service:
- Coaching and facilitation: Workshops conducted four days a week for five weeks, including work-readiness counseling, skills assessment, interview preparation and self-marketing.
- Employee assistance services and family support: The opportunity to meet with counselors for financial literacy training and behavioral health services.
- Subsidized employment opportunities: P2E works closely with participants to match them with employers. P2E enables employers to have a risk-free evaluation of participants during a subsidized work experience.
For more information about the program, read “Long-term unemployed ready to work” from the U-T San Diego.
If you have questions about P2E or are interested in funding P2E, please contact SDWP President & CEO Peter Callstrom at 619-228-2906.
Now accepting applications. Please visit workforce.org/platform-employment for more information.