An Evaluation of a Welfare-to-work Program at a Rural Community College: An Action Oriented Approach -- Lori Fabritius is the Project Manager for Continuing Education at Jamestown Community College, Jamestown, NY.
Abstract:
In 1996, the United States Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, placing emphasis on welfare recipients to take responsibility for becoming economically self-sufficient and free from governmental dependency. Since that enactment, changes in this legislation have made it difficult for some welfare clients to meet employment requirements. Using an action-oriented approach, this research focused on a Welfare-to-Work (W-t-W) program for welfare participants attending a community college. The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the challenges and strengths of the program, as perceived by the W-t-W students, and get their recommendations for improving its quality. Data were collected from 21 program participants through focus group interview sessions, and the finding revealed numerous strengths: exceptional qualities of program staff, additional financial assistance for college, excellent job search assistance; convenience of having the program on campus, and networking with other community resources. Challenges included: threat of losing program funding, problems associated with Department of Social Service case workers and TANF regulations, lack of evening hours, and the need for a bilingual case manager. Recommendations were also made for improving the program, yet in the course of this study, the program closed due to changes in funding priorities.
No comments:
Post a Comment