Transportation Aspects of Workforce Development
UPWP 8535
March 1999
Executive Summary
Recently,
the role of public transportation in workforce development has gained
increased attention because of welfare reform at the federal level.
Changes in welfare legislation, as mandated by the federal
government, have placed an increased emphasis on moving welfare recipients
off of temporary assistance and into jobs that will allow them to become
self-sufficient. The barriers
faced by these individuals and the public and not-for-profit agencies that
serve them are substantial. Many
temporary assistance recipients neither own cars nor have access to
adequate public transportation. Without
adequate provisions for transportation, many low income persons face a
considerable (sometimes insurmountable) amount of difficulty in obtaining
training, finding gainful employment, and fulfilling domestic and child
care needs.
This
report focuses on increasing access to employment and training for
temporary assistance recipients through the identification of where
temporary assistance recipients are located, where training and child care
services are located, where potential employment opportunities exist, and
what public transportation services are currently available. Improving
access to jobs for current temporary assistance recipients and other low
income persons through improved transportation services is dependent on an
identification of where these persons are and where they need to be to
meet employment and domestic obligations.
By providing a spatial inventory of potential employers, training
facilities, child care centers, and temporary assistance recipients in
relation to public transportation services, adjustments to existing
services and the introduction of new services can be explored based on
timely and reliable information.
The
locations of temporary assistance recipients, businesses that may offer
entry-level job openings, child care centers, and sites of employment
services and training are examined in relation to existing public transit
services for all of the nine counties in the region. Information on public
transportation services was obtained through direct contact with the six
providers operating in the region. The
numbers of Temporary Assistance and Safety Net cases in each zipcode were
used to determine the distribution of disadvantaged persons within each
county. A description of
training services and activities provided by county employment and
training departments, job development bureaus, and Department of Social
Services’ employment units is given to display the frequency, times of
day, and locations at which these activities take place, as well as what
transportation services are available.
Two sources of information are used to identify potential clusters
of employment in each county that may yield entry-level job opportunities
for jobseekers without access to a private automobile.
The first involves discussions primarily with county economic
development departments, IDAs, and training and employment agencies.
The second source uses real property information to identify
businesses engaged in activities that are expected to yield entry-level
opportunities in the future based on NYS Department of Labor occupational
forecasts. Child care centers were included because beyond obtaining
gainful employment, domestic responsibilities are also a major concern for
persons receiving temporary assistance. The locations of the child care
centers were provided by the New York State Department of Family
Assistance’s Office of Children and Family Services.
Overall, public transportation in the Genesee/Finger Lakes Region does not adequately serve the needs of individuals moving from welfare to work. Increased transportation services for these individuals will need to be developed. Five recommendations that would create better access to employment for jobseekers without the use of a private vehicle are given. The five recommendations to improve access to employment for jobseekers without access to private automobiles are:
1. Promote regional coordination of workforce development activities by building upon
the measures developed by the Private Industry Council (PIC) Service Delivery Areas
(SDA) and regional agencies such as the G/FLRPC, GTC and the regional offices of the
NYS DoL and Empire State Development Corporation among others.
2. Continue to utilize the services of the transit authority and the metropolitan planning
organization.
3. Explore the introduction of new public transportation services for the Genesee/Finger
Lakes Region.
4. Increase coordination with agencies and organizations serving other disadvantaged
populations.
5.
Plan for larger numbers of TANF and Safety Net recipients in the
future.
In
all aspects of welfare-to-work, coordination between multiple agencies is
the key. The demands of
preparing and providing access to jobs for jobseekers with a minimal set
of skills includes county and regional agencies involved in social
services, employment and training, transportation, planning, and economic
development as well as community and religious organizations.
Overall, the agencies and organizations in the region that serve
jobseekers receiving temporary assistance have recognized this and have
been working together whenever possible.
Continued and increased coordination among these agencies is
crucial to serving the needs of jobseekers as they move into gainful
employment and self-sufficiency.
50
West Main Street, Suite 8107
Rochester, New York 14614
tel:
585.454.0190
fax: 585.454.0191
Last Modified: September 15, 2010