016.20.98 Ark. Code R. 019
Work Experience Training is designed to allow participants to develop employment/job skills and improve work habits through time-limited unsalaried job training at a clearly defined, well supervised training site under an agreement between the trainer and the County Office or other community service agency (e.g. JTPA or WtW). Employment/job skills to be taught include but are not limited to: learning how to follow instructions and take orders, the importance of getting to work on time, learning how to dress for the job, learning how to work with others, learning to work dependably, improving work habits, improving one's self-image, etc. In addition, the participant may also receive vocational training in a specified area.
Work Experience Training may be developed by the DHS County Office, or the County may accept placements at training sites developed by other agencies as long as they meet the TEA policy on training site development. Work Experience training sites may be with public or private not-for-profit agencies or organizations, or with private for-profit employers. For information on Work Experience Training site development, refer to TEA policy 6031.
Customers engaged in this work activity may include any person who has not been successful in obtaining employment, and those the worker determines would benefit from Work Experience Training. The customer will be assigned to a Work Experience Training site which is expected to enhance his or her employability. Make-work training assignments will be avoided.
Each person placed at a training site must complete a DCO-1406, Work Experience Training Site Customer Agreement.
A minimum of twenty (20), but no more than forty (40), hours of activity per week is required. The minimum number of hours may be less if the individual is engaged in another work activity which is counting toward his or her participation requirement (e.g. part-time employment). Participation in Work Experience Training should not exceed three (3) months. Decisions to extend a Work Experience Training engagement will be made at the County Office level.
The County Office will monitor participation via the DCO-1407, Work Experience Training Customer Time/Progress Report, and through on-site visits to worksites (see TEA 6031) developed by the DHS County Office. For other agency worksites, the worker should contact that agency for a progress report on the participant.
The DHS County Office will not develop training sites for Community Services and will not enter into any Community Services agreement. However, if a TEA client is engaged in a Community Service activity through another agency or organization (e.g., Community Punishment, Rehabilitative Services, JTPA, WtW, etc.), then those hours of Community Service may be counted toward the person's TEA participation requirements.
Participation in Community Services enables clients with limited or no experience to learn valuable work habits and socialization skills which employers require of their workers. Community Services activities are performed with a government entity (city, county or state), or community and charitable organizations. As with Work Experience Training, clients engaged in Community Services are involved in developing skills and work habits through training. But unlike Work Experience Training, Community Services need not be tied to one employer/ training site or specific job duties (required Community Services activities could take place in several locations, consist of one training site one day and another on the next day, etc.).
NOTE: Although the County Office will not enter into Community Services agreements with non-profit organizations, counties are encouraged to develop Work Experience Training sites with other governmental agencies and non-profit organizations. See TEA 3240 & 6031.
The DHS County Office will be responsible for developing training and worksites for: Work Experience Training, On-The-Job Training (OJT) and Subsidized Employment.
NOTE: The DHS County Office will not be responsible for developing worksites for Community Services.
The purpose of such training sites is to provide participants with meaningful employment/job skills training in an actual work environment. This purpose should be stressed to potential site trainers to insure they are aware of the agency's expectations relative to training and supervision of the TEA participant. It is also expected that the site trainer will derive no direct benefit as a result of the client's participation in work experience training.
Work experience training sites may be developed with public government entities (city, county, state, and federal agencies), private not-for-profit agencies, community and charitable organizations, or private for-profit employers.
The Job Order form will be used to take the job training opening information. The DCO-1408, TEA Work Experience Training Site Agreement, will be used in developing training sites.
Prior to assignment of a customer to a Work Experience Training site, the trainer will be made aware of the following assurances that must be provided to regular employees:
County Office staff will be responsible for discussing these assurances with the site trainer prior to finalizing the training site agreement. It will be the responsibility of the site trainer to make employees aware of these assurances.
The trainer must agree to provide to the trainee the same benefits (breaks, lunches, days off, etc.) and the same working conditions provided to employees performing comparable tasks.
The DCO-1406, TEA Training Site Customer Agreement, must be signed by the customer before participation in Work Experience Training.
The County Office may monitor participation via the DCO-1407, TEA Participant Time Card/Progress Report, and through monitoring (on-site visit) worksites developed by the DHS County Office. The site supervisor will submit the DCO-1407 bi-weekly to the TEA program to report progress. For other agency sites, the worker should contact that agency for a progress report on the participant.
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Completion of the
DCO-1406
Purpose
The DCO-1406 is used to enter into agreements with TEA recipients assigned to the Work Experience Training activity.
Completion
The DCO-1406 is completed in duplicate. The Agreement will be explained to the recipient. The worker and the recipient will sign the agreement, after the information is entered in the appropriate space.
Routing
The original is retained and filed in the case record and a copy is given to the recipient.
Retention
The DCO-1406 will be retained for three years after the case closes and any audits have been completed.
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Completion of the
DCO-1407
Purpose
The DCO-1407 is used to record the attendance and progress of participants assigned to the Work Experience Training activity.
Completion
The DCO-1407 is completed in triplicate. The Worker completes Part A, by entering the participant's county, name, Social Security number, job title, dates assigned to that site, training schedule, site information, and name of the training supervisor in the appropriate spaces provided. The Worker will enter the job training description as provided in the Training Site Agreement (DCO-1408).
The Training Supervisor will completePart B, by entering the date of each day the participant is scheduled to train within the bi-weekly report period in the first column. The appropriate code (R-regular hours, E-excused hours, H-holiday, U-unexcused hours) will be entered in the second column. The number of hours the participant is in training is entered in the third column.
The Training Supervisor will complete Part C, Items 1 through 8, by marking an "x" in the box matching the phrase which most accurately describes the participant's performance. The Training Supervisor may use item 9 to recommend ways the participant could improve his/her performance or to make comments not related to Items 1 through 8.
The Training Supervisor will review the evaluation with the participant. The participant will mark the appropriate box in Part D, indicating whether he/she agrees with the evaluation, and then may add any comments he/she has. Then the participant and the Training Supervisor will sign and date the form.
Routing
The county office will route the original and two copies with Part A completed to the site's Training Supervisor for each bi-weekly period. Only one set (original and two copies) should be sent at a time to avoid confusion. After the remainder of the form is completed, the Training Supervisor will return the original to the county office, give one copy to the participant, and retain one copy for his/her records.
Retention
The DCO-1407 will be retained in the TEA case record for three years after the case closes and any audits are completed.
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Completion of the
DCO-1408
Purpose
The DCO-1408 is used to enter into an agreement between the Work Experience Training Site and the local DHS County Office to provide services to the TEA participant(s).
Completion
The DCO-1408 is completed in duplicate. The Training Site Agreement will be explained to the Training Site Representative. The Marketing Specialist/Designee and the Training Site Representative will sign the agreement.
Routing
The original is retained and filed in a central file in the County Office.
Retention
The DCO-1408 will be retained for three years after case closes and any audits have been completed.
016.20.98 Ark. Code R. 019